The New Mom

As I spoke of before, Jonas is really crafting his own personality these days.  He still loves to stick out his tongue (thanks, dad!) but he also has discovered how to scrunch up his nose.  It is the funniest thing!  If I can ever catch him on video, I’ll post it here.  He is part-smiling, part-scrunching, part-winking.  I think my mom is partly responsible for this one…to be expected since he stays with them during the day.  Aren’t babies just the best?  I love watching Jonas discover and experience new things…the wonderment on his face is just precious.

Ok, so I am sure many of you know someone who does an imitation of a celebrity.  You can add Jonas to that list.  For whatever reason, his top choice is Gene Simmons, aka the lead singer of KISS.  Jonas has found his tongue and sticks it out–make that way out–down to his chin!  I have no idea where he got this, as we have not played any KISS videos or make it a habit to stick our tongues out at him.  It’s really hilarious.  If I can ever catch him in the act, I’ll post it up for you to see.  A six-month-old with a lizard tongue.  Who would have known?  My mom claims it’s over-stimulation.  My bet is he just wants to be like Gene

Jonas is six months old today (yeah, Jonas!) and is growing, growing.  My husband and I have not left him with anyone other than close family since he was born, due to his sicknesses and our work schedules.  Friday date night has disappeared.  We have a party we want to attend this weekend…but no sitter.  All family will be at the same party!  Which means my husband will probably have to stay home with the baby.  For those of you that have children, how do you go about finding sitters?  Not that we would use them often, but it would be nice to reinstate date night at least once a month.  On the topic of babysitters, please pass along any advice you have regarding pay grade, questions to ask prior to hiring and general rules of thumb.  I did my fair share of baby-sitting back in the day…but that was back in the day!  Thanks in advance.

As I have been writing the last few months, my little one seems to catch everything that passes through.  We are finally starting to recover somewhat from a double ear infection and this weekend, we have a family function to go to.  Not a small function….a very large one.  With aunts, uncles and cousins who have never met our sweet Jonas.  I fear the pass-around.  You know what I mean…  Before you can even say hey, how are you, someone has taken your baby from your arms and then passed he/she to the next relative.  And on and on.  You can’t be rude, nor would you want to be.  So how do you say “please don’t hold my baby” without saying it?  I haven’t quite figured this out and I’m hoping all of you can help me.  Send in your responses to help me with future big outings!

First, I must apologize for not writing daily as I should.  Life as a working mom has not allowed me that luxury!  I will do my best to write more often and get some pics up soon. 

As for today’s topic, my Jonas has his third ear infection in so many months and this time, it’s a double whammy (both ears).  It looks like we’re headed to tube-land before long.  Any parents out there who are reading this, please pass along your advice.  I am frightened at the thought of my baby having surgery; but at the same time, if it clears up all these infections, it’s worth it.

Jonas has been through so much already in terms of sickness–it hurts my heart to see him so miserable.  Luckily, he’s a big boy (19 pounds!) and is growing on track.  If we can just keep him well…

Dear Readers,

As much as I love telling you about my sweet Jonas, I want to hear from YOU!  Please take a moment to post a comment or ask a question, so we can get a universal conversation going.  My vision for this blog is for it to be a helpful haven for all parents.  A place to share your good stories, your worries, your thoughts about raising children and more.  To comment, simply click “post a comment.”  Your response will come to me for approval.  Once I have approved a comment, it will appear with the blog entry it was added to.   For example, a particular entry may say, “five comments.”  If you have questions, feel free to email me at mollytaylor@freedomenc.com.  Have a great week!

After several months of sickness and worry, it seems our Jonas has emerged triumphant.  He is now rolling over (back to tummy) like a champ and following the normal pattern of a healthy four-month old.  Our only worry now is at night time.  He loves to sleep on his tummy and of course, he shouldn’t due to the danger of SIDS.  We’ve tried using a wedge, but he seems so uncomfortable in it.  Do any of you have suggestions for keeping a wiggly baby on their back at nighttime, especially for safety purposes?  My husband and I would love your input as well as any other parents reading this.  Respond to this blog entry and then I will file suggestions under a category called “Helpful Hints.”  Thanks in advance!

I’m sure all of you parents can appreciate this.  Jonas woke up at 2:00 a.m. to eat last night…only that was not all he had in mind.  After drinking a couple of ounces of milk, I heard the rumble.  His little face turned red, especially his nose and grunt, grunt, here we go.  Again — 2:00 in the morning!  It’s hard enough to stay awake to feed him, but then I had to clean the goo off too!  It’s amazing how much a little baby like him can produce…whoa.  He’s a mess.  The funniest thing is he knows he’s doing it.  He will look up at me as I’m holding him and trying not to breathe in…with this “I know I did it, Mommy” look.  He is almost laughing to himself.  It’s hilarious!  All in a day for us parents, right?

After a month of sickness and worry, our Jonas is doing much better.  We’ve made it a week without going to the doctor.  He eats without spitting up violently (for the most part) and he’s happy and playful.  So playful, in fact, that he has found his feet.  He loves, loves to stand and bounce.  He gets so excited!  He is also rolling over like a champ.  Recently, he rolled over 3 times, scooting his body every which way.  It makes our hearts soar to see him feeling so much better.  A little tip for those of you that have babies with acid reflux:  don’t be afraid to switch medications.  We had Jonas on Prilosec but he is now on Prevacid.  It has made a big difference in how his tummy reacts.