Humor at Eight Months

We've been under the weather lately but Thumper's still giggling it up - and constantly finding new things funny.  Here's some of what apparently tickles an 8-month-old's funny bone:

Bodily functions
Sneezes.  Coughs.  Other, less polite noises.  Showering one's parents with fluids.  They're all hilarious to him, and I have a feeling that's not going to stop for... well, possibly forever.

Knocking down stacked blocks
Is it cause-and-effect or mirth at destruction?  Time will tell.

Shocking his parents
It's a variation of peek-a-boo, I think.  Anything that elicits a dramatic reaction.  At one stage in our bedtime routine, I'll "turn away" and he'll crawl as fast as he can to some other spot.  Then I'm astounded that he managed to "sneak" away.  Hilarity ensues.

Making his parents laugh
One night we put a plastic bowl on his head, and he looked so hilarious and adorable - we just melted and fawned.  Now whenever we put the bowl on his head he gets the biggest grin, knowing what's coming.

I mean really

Hopefully things will be a little more normal around here this next week!

A Good Baby

Thumper got his nickname because of his unusually strong legs: first in utero, always kicking, kicking, kicking, then as a newborn, and it's still the first thing doctors and nurses comment on to this day.  But it also suited his personality: constantly moving, bouncing, high-energy.  In recent months he's finally started to get a bit more snuggly, but if he sits too long, or gets held too tight, he reacts like a cat being bathed.  He has a cousin the same age who is nearly his complete opposite, so that contrast made his wiggliness all the more noticeable.

However, you'd never know this about him to see him in public.  Whether in Ergo or stroller, he's much more still and reserved, compounded recently by the shy phase he's entered.  Some days when we get home from running errands I swear I see him breathe a sigh of relief, so I can't tell if it's because he's out of his element or just interested in the world around him.  At any rate, it's easy for me to forget that others don't see him the way I do.

Everyone likes to comment on babies, and I get tons of small talk about Thumper.  But I was surprised when the comments turned into, "He's so quiet."  "So laid-back."  "Such a good, quiet baby."

I have no idea what to say in these situations, for several reasons.  First, it throws me because I do not think of Thumper as quiet or laid-back.  Not stressed or stressful, but not docile, either.  But also, it's clearly meant as a compliment - he's quiet, he's "good."

So I have no idea what to say.  The first few times I was so surprised I blurted out something like, "Oh, you don't see him at home!  He's all action there."  But then it sounds like I'm disagreeing that he's a "good baby."  Of course I think he's the best baby.

But then I also sort of disagree with the notion of a "good baby."  As opposed to what?  He's a baby, a person, with his natural tendencies toward this or that and at this point none of them are negative.  Am I supposed to be saying "thank you" to this assessment that he's "good?"  Even if you consider his tendency to be quieter out in public being "well-behaved," it's not through anything I've done, or because he has some sense of propriety - he's just distracted or unsure.  So am I supposed to be taking credit for this "good behavior"?  Good behavior that sometimes even looks like discomfort to me?

Then again, maybe it's just all my own awkwardness.  I'm similarly unsure what to say when someone comments on his looks.  Again, "Thanks" sounds like I'm taking credit, when frankly he's cuter than either me or the Yeti.  Usually I say something like, "I agree, but I'm biased," which is probably what I'll stick with on the "good" comments too.  Because I do agree, he is a good baby.  Whatever a good baby is.  Quiet or shrieking like a pterodactyl.  He's the best.

Baby Tricks

When it comes to babies, everyone has lists of products that have worked or haven't worked for them  -this brand of baby shampoo, that diaper.  I'm no exception, but instead of a specific product, I thought I'd mention a few concepts that I've stumbled across in the last nine months - a smattering of odd tips.

Closed Captioning
When Thumper was a newborn, he slept quite a bit, and through mostly anything - the vacuum cleaner, police sirens, certainly the TV.  As he's gotten older, not so much.  We have an open-plan one-bedroom, with the bedroom right in the middle of everything, so I've learned to be a stealth rogue.  If I want to watch TV while he's asleep, it basically has to be quiet enough that I can't hear anything.

On the other end of the spectrum, if we want to have the TV on in the background while we eat, we don't expect to hear much - that's Thumper's Jumperoo time, and between the jungle music, the springs, and the happy squeals, we'd drive ourselves nuts if we even tried to add anything else.

Thus, closed captioning.  It's been an entertainment-saver.  Pre-written captions like those on Netflix are generally pretty good, and live captions like those during football games are fun in how wrong they can be.  

Dry Shampoo
Before Thumper was born I bought a can of this, wondering if I would ever need it.  Well, I'm still on the same can, but I admit I've used it several times.  Yes, it would be better to just be clean, but sometimes events conspire such that it's just not gonna happen before you have to be seen by others, checking the mail or running to the grocery store.  This makes me feel just slightly more human in those instances.  However, I must say, I'm not a fan of the smell or general feel of dry shampoo - it's strictly for those "desperate times call for desperate measures" situations.  But once that stuff is in my hair, it keeps me from forgetting and pushing the shower back even further, so I suppose it's a win-win.

Inverted Zippers
Baby footie pajamas are freaking adorable, but they're all a bit of a pain when it comes to changing diapers in the middle of the night.  The ones with snaps aren't a terrible option, but they can be confusing before you get the hang of them.   The ones that zip up seem like the answer to all problems, until you realize that whereas snaps let you isolate the lower half, with zippers you practically have to undress the baby completely to change a diaper.  Neither one of you will be amused in a cool room in the middle of the night.

Hence the best of both worlds: sleepers with an inverted zipper, that unzips going up from the bottom.  Faster, easier, puzzle-free.  Thumper's sleep sacks have inverted zippers as well, so that's handy (nothing more annoying than using the convenient inverted zipper on the sack, then having to reach up to his collar to unzip his sleeper).  You'd think every set of pajamas would have these, but I've had a surprisingly hard time finding them.  We currently have two pairs, that are the Circo brand from Target.  I went back to get more in a bigger size and they were mysteriously gone.  I felt betrayed.

The Anti-Zipper
Zippers are great on baby clothes.  However, on adult clothes?  Not so much.  I recently bought a zip-up hoodie and didn't think much of it, until Thumper tried to bury his face in my chest (he's entered a shy phase).  If it's closed, there's that uncomfortable metal lump right in the center; if it's open, he's navigating between yawning metal teeth.  I'm sticking with pullovers for now.

In other news, yesterday I randomly woke up to this:

so guess whose crib is now on the lowest setting?

Good Pain and Bad Pain

Just about every inch of me is aching.

First, there's my teeth. One thing I do regret about my pregnancy is that I  dropped the ball, before and during and after, with dental visits.  I went from a cavity-free visit, to moving, to putting off finding a new dentist for a year, to getting pregnant.

Likely the change in the PH of my saliva, and the massive amounts of Tums I consumed every night, led to massive issues.  I felt fine during the pregnancy, but almost immediately after I knew I had cavities.  And still put off doing anything for months.

So now I've just completed getting my most recent round of fillings.  I've been scheduling these appointments on the weekend so the Yeti doesn't have to take off work for the baby.  I metabolize Novocain quickly so I get extra shots.  It'll be nice to look forward to the weekend for a change.

Then there's everything else.  As I think I mentioned before, I lost most of my "baby weight" immediately but then put it almost all back on in the first few months after Thumper was born, likely in the form of cookies and Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs.  The scale has stayed put for about four months, but it's not reversing, either.

Also, my back and core have never been the same, and it hurts to hold Thumper for more than a minute.  I'm ok with being this size, holding off on dieting til I'm done nursing, but I'm tired of how weak I feel.

So I decided to go back to barre classes while Thumper is young enough that I can get the price for new moms.  I did it before getting pregnant and loved it, only stopping because I was limited to walking while I was high-risk.  It means going super early, before the Yeti goes to work, but most days I'm up then anyway.  

So now I've got two classes in a row under my belt and everything is sore.  I cough and I double up, clutching my abs.  I sit on the floor and I can't figure out how to get back up.  This is pain I anticipated, though, when I signed up.  I'm looking forward to getting fitter, and hopefully smaller too.

Speaking of smaller, there was also the pain of having to buy new workout clothes because the old ones were too small.  While trying on my old stuff to see what fit, I got stuck in my sports bra and had to jump up and down to shimmy out.  Only gravity and inertia saved me from having my arms trapped above my head til the Yeti got home.  Sadly, there is no Ibuprofen for my dignity.

The Moc Debac

A few years ago I didn't live in the city.  I lived in the middle of nowhere.  One day during the middle of a trip to Target I spotted a pair of teal moccasins. They seemed cute, and comfortable, and I'd seen bloggers online wearing mocs and they seemed cute and trendy.  For whatever reason, I didn't pick them up that day, and trips to Target were every three months or so so I never did buy them, but I regretted that for awhile.

Flash forward to a few months ago.  I saw online that Old Navy had baby moccasins.  "Perfect," I thought, "he needs shoes and they'll be less clunky when he starts to crawl and walk."  And I ordered them without thinking further than that.

They arrived but they were a little big, and Thumper thinks they're funny (I clapped them together) so he often plays with them.  But now we're starting to feel the first hints of fall, and it occurred to me that I should get him used to wearing shoes now, instead of when it's fifty degrees out.  After a few tries I wrangled them on successfully and we headed out for errands.

He wasn't a fan of having shoes on his feet (we haven't even really done socks this summer) and after putting up with his glares and muffled kicks for about 15 minutes I decided he'd had enough.  I reached into the stroller to pull them off his feet, and realized that when I pulled them off and he played with them, they'd now be plainly visible to the public.  And it was like a switch flipped in my brain.  I became incredibly uncomfortable.

Prior to then I hadn't thought much more beyond the fact that they were cute and seemed comfortable.  But I now live in a city with a significant Native American presence, something I'd never experienced before.  As in, there's a totem pole downtown (with its own history of appropriation).  I hadn't really thought of it before, but suddenly the shoes felt inappropriate.  The idea that someone could ask me about them... ugh.  Just the potential in my head was mortifying.  I stuffed the shoes down into the stroller.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but I feel like now that the switch has been flipped, I can't feign ignorance.  Even if no one else would care, I do.

Later that evening, I told the Yeti about my realization.  "I still think they'd be good for walking, but I just don't think I can have him wear those in public," I said.  "He still likes playing with them so maybe they can be his..."

"...Racist house shoes?" the Yeti finished.  Such a sympathetic ear.

So I'm back on the hunt for shoes.  He probably won't walk for months so maybe warmth ought to be my priority.  Or maybe just something he'll wear for more than fifteen minutes.

Not a joking matter

PS I promise I will not be begging for votes every week, but every so often Top Baby Blogs resets all their votes, and today is one of those days.  I'm still trying to get new readers, so if you feel like clicking the button below or in the sidebar (even every day, if you want), I'd greatly appreciate it.

Books and such

I've been a huge bookworm pretty much since I learned to read.  My entire family is comprised of big readers, actually, and there was always something to find on one of our many bookshelves.  At one point my mother said I needed to move on from Goosebumps because I was reading them in half an hour and it was becoming an expensive habit.

I want the same sort of experience for Thumper, and we do have a set of bookshelves, but our stash is nowhere near what it could be.  A busted water heater at a former residence got rid of a good chunk of the inventory, and now that we're living in a smaller apartment, we're much more choosy about what we keep and what we give to Goodwill.

Which is not entirely a bad thing.  I love shopping at Goodwill and used bookstores; it's not uncommon for me to come home with 30 new books (mostly cozy mysteries) and tear through them like junk food. I also love my Kindle; I prefer the original, not the touch-screen, because with the original you can use either side to move forward and back, and I think that's genius.  Oddly enough, I'm selective with the Kindle; I always make sure I'm not paying a ridiculous price for something (and really, I should get a library subscription).

After I had Thumper - even before, while I was pregnant - my concentration was shot all to hell.  I went from reading novels every day to lacking the attention span or desire to curl up with one.   Lately, though, I've finally been feeling like I have enough room in my brain for something more than Internet posts.

Finding the time is something else again.  Many days I'm still in a form of survival mode - sleep when possible.  Then there's usually some form of cleaning I could do.  I think I'm willing to postpone a little cleaning to recharge my brain, though, and luckily the Yeti is of the same opinion.  By the way, when you don't marry someone in an "Odd Couple" situation - when you're both the messy one - you get a lot of mess enabling, in case you're wondering.

So here's what I've got lined up to read, when I've got a moment:

Outlander, Diana Gabaldon - First book in the Outlander series.  This was recommended to me years ago, but now that there's a TV series a fire has been lit under me (I did the same thing with the Song of Ice and Fire, aka Game of Thrones, books).

I've already started this one, and it has sucked me in.  Time travel?  Historical fiction?  Romance?  I'm in.

1491, Charles C. Mann - I started this book before I got pregnant.  Because I'm not used to reading nonfiction, it fell first to my diminishing attention span.  Still, it really is a fascinating book about the pre-Columbian civilizations in North and South America, and I mean to finish it.

Evil Eclairs, Jessica Beck - the Yeti bought me this for Christmas.  My all-time favorite genre is the cozy mystery, and the Yeti likes buying me ones with the weirdest "themes" he can find.  I think I haven't read this one yet because I've felt like I haven't had the time to really properly enjoy it.  Now I'm sort of over waiting for the perfect undisturbed moment and it's next in line.

Best Kindle case ever, from the best Nancy Drew book, bought on Etsy here. 

I didn't cover movie stars

There's a scene that often pops into my head: it's from a movie from the 80s called Baby Boom, with Diane Keaton and a shockingly young James Spader (I am a big fan of Blacklist).  There's a scene in that movie where Diane's character takes her toddler to a baby enrichment class, and all the parents are holding up giant flashcards with everything from Andy Warhol's art to a picture of Whoopi Goldberg, in order to give their kids an edge.  It's meant to be ridiculous.

But there's another scene I often think of, this one from real life.  My oldest nephew was about three, and I had taken him into a public restroom to wash his hands.  He had no idea what an electric hand dryer was, because he was from a small town and I guess just didn't frequent many modern public bathrooms.  As a teenager, it blew my mind, all the "catching up" a brand-new mind has to do.

It still blows my mind, really.  There's just so much context.  I was sitting with Thumper and singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and suddenly I started thinking: he doesn't know what a star is.  That song doesn't help much; "like a diamond"?  He's more likely to recognize a star than a diamond, right?  But then I realize: living in a city, I don't know that we can even see stars in the sky.  In contrast, he sees the diamonds in my wedding band every day.

Before I even knew what I was doing, I started babbling about stars: pointing out the stars on a toy he has.  Then I went to google images and did a search for stars.  I was showing pictures of the shape of a star, pictures of stars in the sky.  Then I realized he was seven months old, and very little of this was likely sinking in.  And I was Diane Keaton with a flashcard.

bottom teeth twinkling like diamonds in the sky