New Beginnings....Old memories....

Today marked some new beginnings.

The first being that I got a job offer! I accepted but I have not heard back from the recruiter on whether this is a done deal or not.

If I did get this job, I would start December 8th. It's just 20 minutes away in the Galleria and I don't even have to get on a freeway. Plus, there is a daycare not far from the building, so I may enroll X there so I can go visit him during lunch hour.

Secondly, I put all of X's 4 ounce baby bottles away. Since he eats at least 6 ounces at every feed, obviously the 4 ounce bottles don't get the job done anymore. I broke out the new bottles, washed and boiled them. Unfortunately, I got side-tracked and melted three of the bottles while sterilizing them. boo.

I can't help but have little flash back to those middle of the night feeds in the very first week when I had to supplement with formula. Fumbling around in the kitchen at 3 a.m. trying to measure out formula and get the temperature of the milk just right.

I have started putting a lot of X's clothes into a pile for the "Next One". I shudder at the thought of having another munchkin to take care of, but one day, we will.

I am excited about the new job and finally getting back on the road to saving for a home and a new car. It just breaks my heart thinking about daycare.

I can get through this though. Just have to be a tough cookie for a while.

Bath Time Confusion...

So I aim to give X a bath three times a week. Tonight was bath night. X freaks out if we get him anywhere near the bath tub. We've tried everything, singing silly bath time songs, slowly introducing him to the water, covering him up partially and bathing him bit by bit. Nothing has worked. He freaks out every time.

Tonight, I sat him in his tub and I started wiping his face. He looked at me with huge eyes and started giggling and laughing! I was elated! This was the moment I have always read about in books. Mom and baby enjoy bath time and it's a total mushy bonding experience and baby has fun splashing around. X and I laughed and giggled back and forth to each other. "Yes! We are making headway! He is having fun." I thought.

I then started lathering up X's top half. He giggled some more, then I noticed his eyes start to get teary. The little giggles slowly turned into what sounded like nervous laughter. He was quiet for a few seconds then let out a shrill cry.

Poor thing, he was so confused. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Needless to say, X cried for the remainder of the bath and towards the end A had to come in and help me because he started to squirm around too much.

I don't know what to do about this bath time thing. When the bewitching hour comes around, I get all antsy. I dread the 5 minutes of screaming, but I can't not give him a bath. That's bordering on neglect. I can't help but have visions of X when he is 5, 10 or 15 years old and still dreads bath time. He would prefer to be dirty than get in that awful tub and we argue about it.

*le sigh* ....children.....

New skills and new problems....

X practiced how to reach and grab for things today. He has started holding his hands up in front of his face, clasping them together, studying them and then squealing. It's extremely cute. I dangled a rattle in front of his face, and he reached up and out and grabbed onto it! He then tugged on it and buried his little face it. Also extremly cute. He has also started laughing on a consistent basis. When I make an oinking sound, he goes crazy. He gets a huge kick out it.

I suppose with all new progressions, there has to come a regression. Bath time has gotten increasingly painful for all of us. X hates his baby bath tub. A and I have to hold him down while he squirms and screams at the top of his lungs to try and get out. I just don't know why he hates bath time so much. He used to like it. I'm trying to rack my brain to see if there was something we did last time that might have traumatized him, but I can't think of anything. I hope this is just a phase and he will grow out of it. I don't know how many more screaming bath times I can take.

Also, we can't seem to get nap time down either. I'd like X to be a little more predictable with napping, but he falls asleep for random amounts of time during the day. There is no pattern to it.

Little one is going to drive me crazy!!

Happiness.....

X has started laughing and cooing more. We've started practicing how to sit up on the couch. He is doing so well. He can sit for 15 seconds with his back and head straight. All I have to do is hold his hands. Whenever he sits up, his eyes light up and he starts cooing really loudly and squealing with delight as he looks around. Sometimes he gets so excited, that he starts crying. There are so many new vantage points when you are itty bitty and you are viewing them for the first time.

I wish I could be that happy all of time. Every time I looked at something I would feel extremely excited, it would be like looking at it for the first time. I wish I could go back to that innocence. When I didn't know about hatred, bills, economic problems or how crappy life can be at times.

I can't wait to watch X explore the world and learn. To see him light up and know that he is truly happy.

Happiness is a baby boy.

Obama and Unemployment....

So, this is not a baby related post. I sometimes have to remind myself that there is more to life than my baby. While he is one of the most important things in my life, there are other things that hold importance too.

Firstly, the election of Barack Obama. I did not vote because I had a mommy moment and forgot to submit my voter registration. I am extremely glad that Barack won. I cried during Obama's acceptance speech. When they compared him to Martin Luther King, I cried again. I can not begin to imagine what this victory feels like for african-americans. I was so overwhelmed to see a black president elected. I remember saying eight years ago during the 2000 election race, "Could you IMAGINE what it would be like with a black president?" I was told that it will never happen. The American people are not progressive enough. Well, that day has come. America really is progressive, it was just never realized because it seemed like a lost cause these last eight years.

This country was down in the dumps with the crisis that the current administration put us into. It was amazing to see how different everyone looked and walked yesterday. Everyone seemed to have a spring in their step. All of the talk show and news hosts seemed cheery. A new day has begun. My husband said that introspection happens during hard times. We question more. We are more skeptical of what is being told to us. Well, the American people questioned the Bush Administration with the current financial crisis and tumbling economy. We wanted something different. We needed strong, dignified leadership. I think most importantly in this age of global communication and economy, we needed a leader that could command respect from all countries. I think Barack can be that leader.

It was refreshing to see people of all color coming together and voting in Barack. Bunking the "good ole boy system" and saying "No" to cronyism and four to eight more years of the same narrow-minded policies and solutions that got us into this mess we are in now. Now we have fresh ideas, a new view on problem solving, and America has been dying for that for the past eight years. Call me too much of a progressive-thinker, but these allegations that Barack is a socialist are ridiculous. I think because of the current situation in this country, we may have no choice but to utilize policies and solutions that were previously dismissed in order to get the country back on track. I don't think Obama intends to make the US a socialist nation, but perhaps some of the tenants of socialism and other methods of government might need to be drawn upon when trying to figure this economic and social mess out. I hope his election into office will prompt everyone, regardless of party, to work together and find solutions to dig the country of of the current crisis. That is the only way we can persevere, by working together.

Secondly, the issue of unemployment in my life. I can only hope that it becomes easier to find a job as the economy slowly improves. I am having no luck at all. The job hunt is so competitive right now. I had several interviews scheduled for this week, and every single one of them fell through because "We went ahead and hired someone else." Thank you for not giving me a chance. Setting up an interview with someone and then not even giving them a chance to be seen and heard shouldn't be allowed. If you are in that big of a hurry to hire someone, give the interviewee a deadline to come in and be heard. GRR! So, it's back to the drawing board, again....I thought I was finally getting somewhere in my job search and I would begin working this week or next. I don't mind staying home with my little one, but I would like to start making some money so we can save for a new car and a house.

On a more positive note, X is still sleeping through the night. A and I have gotten the best sleep this past week. My little one is growing up....

Firsts

This weekend was quite a weekend of firsts...

Starting Thursday night, X slept EIGHT hours straight. He didn't stir or fuss. He went to sleep at 10 pm and didn't wake up until 6 am the next morning to eat. He did it again Friday night and last night. I can not tell you how relieved I am to know that he can sleep through the night. We haven't really done anything differently with his routine or feedings. I guess he is just naturally ready to sleep longer hours.

Friday was X's first Halloween. I didn't have a costume for him because I wasn't sure where I would take him to trick-or-treat. I went to Walmart last minute. All of the infant costumes were so bulky and heavy, I just knew X would be miserable. So, I bought him an orange onesie that said "This IS my costume." A and I took X to "Trick or Treat on Main Street" at LaCenterra Shopping Center in Katy. We walked around and saw all the little kids dressed up as Storm Troopers and Princesses. A and I just smiled thinking about when X gets older and what he will want to dress up as. Who knows what kind of characters they will have in a few years. X just looked around at everything. I think it was quite a sensory overload for him. There were so many kiddos and lights, and music and noise. Needless to say we didn't have much trouble putting X to bed that night. We got to see KZH and her hubby while we were there, too. She works at LaCenterra and was working the event.

Today X and I went out to Katy and visited my grandparents. My grandma has been so anxious to meet the little one. Both she and my grandpa are in poor health and have been at an assisted acute care facility since he was born. X put such a smile on my grandma's face. I think it really lifted their spirits to finally meet their great-grandson. I'm glad that he met them and we will be able to tell him some day that he knew his great-grandparents.

On a happier note, X has also started to "laugh" and cackle. He doesn't do it often, but the first time he did it was a little scary. He shrieked so loud that I thought he was hurt. I went to him and he just had the biggest smile on his face and made a cackling sound. Now he has started crying, and as soon as we respond his gives us a big bright smile and a little cackle, like he is playing a game with us. He is wily already!!