Notes from a Slacker

I say I'm a slacker, and although there is some definite truth to that... it's not the whole truth. The real truth is my lovely child can't stand to be near a computer without banging on it. As a matter of fact he is currently whining because he would much rather bang on my computer than play with the mountain of toys surrounding him! Hold tight while I find food... the one thing that he finds more entertaining than the computer...

OK... I momentarily have solitary access to the computer. Let's play catchup. Here's what's been going on in the Griffin house:

Kaleb has been in daycare for about 6 weeks now. We've made about a trip a week to the doctor with some ailment... he's had 2 colds, a virus, and pink eye twice. Plus is 9 month (that's right... he's 9 months now!) check up. They tell you daycare will be 140 bucks a week... but they forget to tell you to figure in co-pays & prescription costs! My hope is, however, that he is busy building a massive immunity to all of the things kids carry so that when he goes to school he will not be out sick all of the time! Fingers crossed!

A little over a month ago we started trying solid foods with the little man. The daycare starts them at 8 months... and we wanted to beat them to it. So we tried several foods, and he has done pretty well actually... but I found it to be quite humerus the day I walked in and the daycare ladies offered the following insight: "Kaleb really likes bread!" I, of course, started laughing... because as those of you who know the Angel family are aware of... we are bread eaters! Scott swears I could live off of bread and bread alone. Guess some things are just genetic!

Kaleb's little teeth are coming right on in! He has his bottom 2 middle teeth and they are sharp! He likes to show you too... he bites hard for a little guy! He also has his 2 canines... the pointy teeth on the top. They have just recently broken through the skin so they aren't showing well yet... but I think it's going to look funny when they do since the top middle teeth aren't in yet! Strange child... but a cute strange little guy!

Kaleb's new favorite game is to empty things... bags, bins, whatever. He likes to pull everything out! He's also learning that if he puts everything back in he can pull it out again! This all started last weekend at the beach with my makeup bag...

He also loves drum sticks! I swear I do not do it on purpose... he just always pulls his toy drumsticks out of the pile first! And not just one... he wants both of them! And he always holds the correct end. Sounds like our household is going to be quite noisy as he grows up!!! 2 drummers??? Hmmm... maybe we should buy him a guitar so they can play together!

Since Kaleb is nearing the end of his bottle and is eye-ing the computer again, I'll wrap this up with a few quick Kaleb facts. Hopefully I'll make it back more often since school is nearly out! Until then- Sarah (& K)

Kaleb is: saying dada & mama with an occasional papa, nana, byebye, & hey

He can: stand up by himself... but he isn't pulling up yet.

He will not: crawl! he has no interest at all! i think he's being lazy :)

Kaleb loves: the water! he's going to be quite the little swimmer! looking into swimming lessons this summer!

***For anyone interested... set aside September 5th for Kaleb's 1st birthday party. I know it is ridiculously early to be planning this, but amid 2 weddings & a new baby... I had to snag a day before they were all consumed with baby & bridal showers!

Fire

So I almost burned the house down yesterday... seriously! Clearly proves I should not be in charge of the dishes. Wonder if we can afford a maid? Maybe... if we stop paying the light bill. Of course then we would need candles for light & since I've now earned a bad track record with fire... maybe Scott should just do the dishes from now on!

When I wash Kaleb's bottles I toss the rubber parts of his bottles & his pacifiers in a pot and boil them to kill the germs. Been doing it since he was little to sterilize them... and just haven't quit since he has managed to catch everything & more at daycare. Figured I rid the world of as many pesky germs as possible.

Anyway... normally I boil the water while I'm washing the bottles & turn it off to cool after I'm done. For whatever reason, yesterday, I forgot to get the water boiling until after I had washed the dishes... so I turned them on to boil and stepped into the other room to check on Kaleb. Completely forgetting about the pot on the boil... I decided to take the opportunity for a quick catnap while Scott & Kaleb were both asleep. Bad idea. Good thing we have a fire alarm!

Once the alarm when off I immediately realized what I had done. I screamed for Scott to get up... since the house was smoky and it was clear I would need a hand (or a brain). The water had all boiled out and the silicone in the pot had gotten so hot it had ignited! Since the fire was contained to the pot, it was easy enough to put out... but it did manage to scare me to death!

So we opened the windows and doors to air out the house and I took a trip to the store to replace 10 (expensive!) baby bottles. Guess it could have been worse, but it definitely makes me think that someone else should be in charge of the dishes from now on!

Until the next time I do something stupid...

Sarah

Moments

Kaleb is sleeping so I have a moment. It seems like, these days, a moment is all I ever have. And a moment, as you know, is fleeting.

For months (6 to be exact) now Scott & I have been waiting for Kaleb to get into day care. I've lived with the stress of going from place to place looking for trustworthy people to watch our little one with the hopes that we would eventually get that phone call saying... Kaleb has a spot in day care. That moment would come... and I could survive until then.

The the phone call came... the Thursday before last. They had a spot for Kaleb and he could start the next Monday. So I filled out the mountain of paper work, packed his bag, and off we went to day care last Monday morning. That moment in life... the one Kaleb will not even remember... was past us. As grateful as I will always be for such loving and caring friends who helped us (more than they'll ever know) over these last 6 months, we would have stability.

I didn't cry the first day I left Kaleb and went back to work. I didn't cry the first time I left him over night. I didn't cry when I found out we needed new child care and you had to be on the list before you got pregnant if you wanted a shot at getting in (that's not a joke!). I've made up for it this week.

Let me start by saying that First Presbyterian is wonderful. The people are so good to Kaleb, and he is very happy. He is getting used to new friends, playing outside, and enjoying the easy going life of napping whenever he wishes (lucky!). I guess the problem is that all the stress that was supposed to dissipate whenever that moment happened... whenever that phone call came... that stress couldn't follow directions! It got lost... and instead of heading home, it parked itself right in the middle of Kaleb's first week at day care.

After a few days I've come to grips with the fact that sometimes you have to kick stress out or it will stick around forever. And I did... but not before it played havoc with my life for a few days. After a week we're back on a routine. It's not the routine Scott and I made for Kaleb... but it is one he adjusted to much quicker than I did. So we're getting there... and still grateful for good people to take care of my little one.

For all of you who have kept Kaleb for me over the past 6 months, I will never be able to tell you how much it means to me that you took a moment out of your life to help my family in a time of need. I will be eternally grateful. Thank you,

Sarah

(sending love from Kaleb... my sweet boy who woke up just this moment)

Sand

Scott calls Kaleb "world boy". They like to go out in the world together. Sometimes it's just a peak out the door or a walk in the yard... sometimes its a trip around the block or to the park... but most recently Kaleb has ventured out to the beach!

The ocean water was still pretty frigid despite the 90* weather, so Kaleb was not really happy about the surf hitting his toesies... but he LOVED the sand! I think he would have played there for hours had we not been worried about the transparent skin he inherited from me getting sunburned! He also enjoyed walking on the pier, meeting the neighbors' puppies and visiting the aquarium!

I can't wait to take him back this summer! Should be tons of fun!!!

SG

A Tooth!

Kaleb is growing SO fast! A few weeks ago I went to see the new baby of a friend of mine and he was SO tiny! I was just sure that Kaleb was never that small... but it turns out he was actually almost a half pound heavier at birth than our little man!

I've packed up several of Kaleb's baby things... on top of a ton of clothes, we have also packed up an infant rocker that he's gotten too tall for and the bumbo... which he no longer needs now that he's sitting up on his own.

Yesterday one of Kaleb's bottom teeth broke through the skin! Seems like it would be some relief to him... but it seems there are many more to come! Not much longer though and he'll have a cute little toothy grin!

Katie & Chris were able to find out that they are having a little girl! I'm so excited for them!!! Meanwhile Rebekah and Maggie are still making wedding plans! They both have their dress and their bridesmaids dresses chosen and their big days will be here before we know it!

I believe the countdown is as follows:

Baby Quick should be here in August...

Kaleb will be a year old in September...

Rebekah & Phillip will be wed October...

Maggie and Jon's wedding is in December...

Throw in a hand full of family birthdays between August and December (Grandma Griffin, Scott, Ashley, Nana, Mine, Laura's, Grandpa's, Phillips, Rebekah's, Grandma Angel's & Kevin's) and you have one very busy busy year! Wonder what January will bring?

Upright

Kaleb is officially sitting! Monday night he was propping up really really well... and seemed so close to sitting on his own! Tuesday morning I sat Kaleb in the middle of our bed while I got dressed. I usually prop him really well with pillows or just let him lay down, but that morning I just put a bit of the comforter behind him. And he stayed up! He stayed with Brenda that day, and while I was at work i got a text saying he was sitting all on his own and this picture:

Such a fast growing boy! He is already a handful. He wants to grab (and eat) everything! He has a particular fondness to the computer keyboard, the cell phone, and the remote control. Guess it's a button thing!

Since he seems to want something more solid to eat than his baby food, and since my tv won't work if Kaleb eats the remote control, we tried some finger foods tonight! I had picked up some Gerber Graduates puffs that taste like banana and melt in your mouth. He did pretty well with them, however it took 4-5 minutes for him to eat two of them... (I'd probably be a lot better off if I ate at that speed!)

The time change still has the little man confused... although I think that's probably the case for most of us! Since 7:30 feels like 8:30 to him, he is already down for the night. That, I regret to inform you, is the reason that I'll say so long for the both of us. I'll be back with more Kaleb typing later... Until then,

Sarah

Almost

Kaleb is all but sitting up! I can't wait for him to master the skill as he loves to sit up and play. This evening I gave him a bath and turned him backwards in his little tub. He sat there for a while playing in the water! He's sitting on the floor now and doing pretty well... just not quite well enough for me to be out of reach... as he tips over quite easily. Seems he has a rather round bottom! He needs a kick stand, or something!

Kaleb's 6 month appointment went pretty well. He, unfortunately, had to have 5 shots and his ears cleaned out... neither of these things were on "favorite things to do" list. At 9 months he does not have to get shots, which I'm pretty excited about! Here are the stats:

26 1/4" long (50%)

15 lbs 10 oz (10-25%... not sure why there is a range there!)

16 1/4" head

We are also now able to feed Kaleb state 2 baby food!

At last check we're moving on up the list at daycare. I've almost stopped hoping they'll hurry up because it seems to be pointless! March is covered... guess I don't have to worry again until April!

Kaleb is having a fit to type his own name... so here it goes! This post courtesy of the letter K, the number 6, & m,vbbnnnnnnnnnnnnvvnjhjhhhhh8zedvgjoespssplpl00hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiii (that means Kaleb when a 6 month old types it... he's a little obsessed with buttons!)

Sarah

Snow

When the Fall wears off and it begins to get cold again, Kaleb will be a year old. About that time, my poor little misinformed 1 year old will quite assuredly want to know... whens it gonna snow? And hopefully I can tell him... not this year!

As a general rule I like snow... I do not, however, like the consequences! No power... Saturday school... and now the worst of all... a sick little man.

Kaleb has a nasty cold. Although I can't be positive that it's a result of going 24 hours without power and spending the majority of that time in a cold house... I'm sure it didn't help! We were able to spend the night with Grandma, who had power, but nevertheless little man is yucky.

Tomorrow we go for his 6 month check up which will come with more shots. I'm very curious to see what they have to say about his development... hopefully he is headed right where he's supposed to be! On track or not though, he is growing fast!

Slacker

I know, I know... I've been slack about blogging. Unfortunately that time has been filled amply with house work, school work, and (said with a much more positive tone) Kaleb!

Work has been crazy. My new semester is so much better than the previous... I have a better combo of older kids in smaller classes. Makes a world of difference. Slady, however, we have been short planning periods for going on a month now, so I have a lot to compensate for outside of my normal work day!

I've been trying to lose weight... it's not going so well. Kimberly and I are walking everyday at school, which is a drastic improvement. I'm also thinking of purchasing a gym membership since we have a Y now. That, however, means more time and money going out with the same about available for use... so we'll see how that goes.

Now on to more important things! Kaleb is nearing 6 months old. So much has changed as he is getting bigger... I though this might work better in the form of a list.

Kaleb is:
turning 6 months on Tuesday
15 lbs at last check
still sleeping through the night
starting to teethe :(
eating 3 solid meals a day
outgrowing his 3 month onesies & 6 month sleepers
now he's in size 2 diapers, 6 mth onesies, and 9 mth sleepers

Kaleb can now:
roll over both ways
hold his own bottle
sit supported in a high chair
ride in the shopping cart without the car seat
play with his toys with intention
laugh at things that are funny
turn his volume up VERY loud
hold his arms up so you know he wants to be held
scoot a little on his tummy
help daddy and me type on the keyboard
stick his hands in our dinner plates

Time is flying so fast and life with Kaleb is increasingly fun. Now if we could just get into that daycare things would be going very nicely! Off to wash my coat since Kaleb just spit up on it... life never slows down!

I hope to be back on the 8th, as I believe that is Kaleb's 6 mth appointment! Until then...
Sarah & ii (Kaleb typed his own name)

5 Months

Kaleb was 5 months old yesterday! And Scott & Ashley Gunnet's baby McKayla was just born yesterday! Congrats to them!

Anyone ever wonder if the name they give their child would change if they waited 5 months to name them? This morning, I decided, that if we had waited until 5 months... Kaleb Scott Griffin would have been named Hungry Hungry Hippo. The child can't get enough to eat, and HATES to pause long enough to burp. Look... he's even eating his toys!

All that food is certainly making him grow fast! At last check he was 14 lbs and getting heavier by the moment!

Kaleb also saw his first snow around 5 mths of age... he did not, however, go out and play in it. Too little, too cold, and too much of a chance that he'll get another cold! Maybe when we get snow next decade he can play!

Congrats again to baby McKayla and her proud parents!

Sarah

Crazy

This will be quick and to the point, as I have a list of a million things I have put off in order to write this blog! Being a full time teacher, mom, wife, etc really wears a girl out!

Poor little Kaleb has been sick... really yucky cold. He's starting to get over it, which I'm so grateful for. Unfortunately he has given it to me, Scott, & Nana. Now I'm saying prayers Kaleb's not an Indian giver and doesn't try to take it back! Sick babies are no fun because you can't give them anything but Tylenol... so you just have to let them suffer through the pain! Heartbreaking!

Went by the Dr.'s office today just to visit, and momma weighted Kaleb. He weighed about 14 lbs. with his clothes/diaper on. Growing fast! That's a pound in one month! Seems sadly he's on the same plan as I am :(

Kaleb's personality is starting to really shine through too... seems he is going to be a super happy boy as long as he has a full tummy! But let him get hungry, and you (and the neighbors) know all about it! He's learning more and more how to use his hands and can play with toys, put them in his mouth, and throw them when he's done with them! He also likes to lay on the floor and laugh at us making funny faces and noises at him. He often repeats the noises we make! His newest noise is more like a scream than anything else... but he is certainly entertained by it, as are we!

I suppose it's time to get back to my never-ending list of things to do... school work is next on the list. New kids are MUCH BETTER than last semester's tragedy of a situation but are keeping me busy making sure I get them ready for that looming EOC!

I'll be back the next time there is a break in the schedule... which may be soon as there is impending snow on the horizon! Until then...

Sarah

Over

Kaleb rolled over for the first time today! He only did it once, though, and then he got tired of trying! Hopefully he'll make it from back to front soon! At the moment, however, he is laying on the floor playing with his toes, and in no way making any efforts to roll over... so I guess I'll have to wait on that one! Let's hope he shows off for his daddy when he gets home!

Oh, also, Kaleb it seems is not a big fan of green beans. He spit out every bite I tried to give him today for lunch. When I finally gave up and switched to carrots, he ate them all! Guess we'll have to give it a while before we try those again! At this point he likes Applesauce, Bananas, Pears, and Carrots... he did okay with Peaches and Squash, and he didn't like the Green Beans. He already eats more vegetables than I do... it can only get better, right?

SG

Blessed

We are certainly a blessed family! I've always known that, but it is becoming more and more evident as I look at my calendar... here is the story...

When we found out we were expecting, I immediately knew who I wanted to keep our baby while Scott and I were at work; my Grandma! She watched my sister and I as we grew up, and I'd always said that if I ever had a child, I hoped she could watch him/her. We were very happy to find out that she was willing, and were very relieved that we wouldn't need to search for childcare. That's a really stressful thing for most first time parents, but we were fortunate to have someone we trusted to watch our baby.

When the time came for me to go back to school, I was all set to take Kaleb to Grandmas for the day. Before I left for work, though, my mom showed up at my front door. Grandma had hurt her back, and didn't think she could watch Kaleb that day. Knowing I had no choice but to go back to work, my mom took the day off and stayed with Kaleb.

It took about 2 weeks for Grandma's back to heal. Kaleb spent those two weeks being passed around between friends and family. It was stressful trying to find someone for each day, remembering where to pick him up at the end of a long school day (it changed daily!), and wondering when things could go back to normal. It was stressful for Grandma too... not only did her back hurt, but she wanted to watch Kaleb!

After a few weeks of rest and treatment, Grandma's back began to feel better. For two weeks, Kaleb spent his days with Grandma. I think he was spoiled after the first hour, but he was happy. After 2 weeks, Grandma's back started to hurt again. Together we made the decision that we should find someone else to watch Kaleb everyday. We were scared that picking up a growing baby would further injure her or prevent her from getting better.

So back to the drawing board and back to passing around the baby. Over the past month or so, Kaleb has stayed at home with Scott on his days off, myself on Holidays, Momma, Daddy, Rebekah, Brenda Price, Amie Thompson, Claudia Austin, Ann Layton & Elizabeth Oates... plus Friday he'll be with Leslie Boone.

I'm looking at my calendar, and I have every day but 1 covered in January, and quite a few days in February covered! So I'm sending out a big THANK YOU to everyone who has looked after my baby when Scott and I have to be at work. It means more than you'll ever know that we have so many people that we trust that are willing and able to help us.

So for now, we play pass the Kaleb and I watch the calendar to see where to go to pick him up when I leave work. We're praying that a spot at the daycare opens up, as we are on the waiting list.

Feeling very blessed, and very ready for some stability for our little guy...
Sarah

4 Months

Kaleb is 4 months old! I can hardly believe how fast time is flying... 2 days ago marked 2 years since Scott proposed to me and 1 year from the day we found out we were going to be parents! I'm still pretty sure that hasn't sunk it yet... and Kaleb's been here for 4 months! I wonder when it'll finally hit me?

Kaleb is getting to be so much fun and he is changing so much! He's eating solid foods now, and loves them! He also loves to sneeze right in the middle of a bite, and carrots stain! I've learned to feed him cereal in the morning (they don't have much color, less likely I'll need to change) and to put on my top layer AFTER he eats. Right now that works well, when summer comes and I'm down to fewer layers I'm not sure what I'll do... oh wait, I'll be at home! I can feed him before I get showered and dressed!

He is also starting to play with the millions of toys littering our house, making them seem somewhat useful now! The only problem is, now when I step on or trip over something, I feel compelled to at least rinse it off before Kaleb puts it back in his mouth. He has also learned to grab and pull on the toys hanging from his seats and play things... and many of these things sing! His rocking chair, for instance, sings "If you're happy and you know it" and his little floor gym thingy sings "Twinkle twinkle little star". Good solid children songs... unfortunately they get stuck in your head after you hear them 15 times in a row.

Poor little man went for his 4 month appointment today and got his second round of shots. It's sad to see him get stuck 4 times... but I'm glad it was over quickly and he has 2 more months before he has to have more! They also plotted him on the growth chart and he is apparently going to be tall and thin with a little head. Not sure who he got that from... Scott's got a big head (just picking baby) and I'm certainly not tall and skinny! In all seriousness... the Dr. says he is fine... 4 months & 1 week old, 13 lbs, 25" long, and a 16 1/4" head diameter. That puts him in the 25% for head size, 40% for weight, and 75% for height.

Kaleb is recuperating from his shots by playing with his little gym thing and watching Kung Fu Panda... so I guess I should go join him (with the movie... not the gym... I don't think we'd both fit!). Until next time...

SG