Falling Short

 Disclaimer: This posting is somewhat of a divergence from the general thoughts I like to share on this blog. Really this is my place to enjoy all the wonders of my lovely little family but it this is just not quite one of those posts.

So, it is Monday night and it is one of those Mondays where you don't feel the weekend went particularly well. You enter Monday still tired from last week and you have an entirely new week to get through.

This weekend I had one emotional meltdown, missed a party that I wanted to attend by arriving after it was essentially over, and spent the rest of my time either washing a week's worth of dishes or a month's worth of laundry. Every time I tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour to start chipping away at the hours of sleep deprivation something got in my way leaving me yet again wondering, "Can it really be that late?"

By Sunday night I realized for the umpteenth time that I am trying to do many things right now and so it feels like I am not doing any of them particularly well. This is aided by the fact that Jason is in the same boat. It is never easy when both of us are stretched a bit thin.

So, to try to resurrect this post and remind myself of the good in my little world - we are here again on Monday. I had a day. I won't talk about majority of the day but instead tell you about the evening. With a butternut squash in the oven for H's next gastronomic adventure, Hendrick and I went on a walk. I was still trying to unwind from the day and Hendrick was tired and enjoying having to do nothing in particular with his body except lay there wrapped up in his baby carrier. As I kept being preoccupied by all of the things I thought I should be taking care of Hendrick kept leaning his head all the way back in his carrier to see the leaves overhead. He would just sway backwards totally relaxed and watch the sunlight playing in the trees. God it was beautiful. I couldn't help but just watch him and enjoy his discovery of the sunlight in the leaves. There is nothing quite like that feeling, when I just get to watch him process.

After that, we came home, pureed the squash, ate dinner, and then H had nightcap of milk and passed out in his dad's arms while listening to his lullaby. Now, I am going to back to wash more dishes and in a few hours say yet again, "Can it really be that late?"

Cute photos....what more needs to be said

I want to touch it...

Bath toys are fun, but the faucet is even better...

Teething fun in the bathtub...does it get any better?

Family photo

Trying to figure it all out...

 

 In keeping with the Montessori method, Hendrick is learning how to drink from a glass that is just his size. He finishes off each meal with a little glass of water. It is beyond cute. I love watching as he tries to figure out how to drink out of a cup. It generally involves a lot of water on his bib and a lot of "nursing" the cup as opposed to drinking. My favorite is when his thumb gets in the way and so he just starts sucking it. Then he realizes what is going on and tries to fix it.

Baby vs. Ball

Hendrick is now happily in his sixth month of life and is rolling, squirming, and practicing sitting. At this point in his development it is suggested that you introduce a ball if you have not already. The ball's motion encourages a desire to crawl. (The ball moves, the baby wants to get the ball.) Ideally the ball would be made of cloth so that it could not roll away too fast or far, just enough to keep H. interested. But on grandma's recent visit she gave H. a non-cloth ball and he seems to be enjoying it quite a bit. Sure enough when he first saw the ball rolling toward him and reached out to touch it it rolled away and he started working on getting his butt in the air and limbs moving. He has yet to figure out what to do with all of his limbs in order to crawl, but I am confident that he will figure it out eventually.

The Culprits

We are in full on teething mode here and I would be lying if I said we were loving every minute of it. All of these teeth are definitely causing H some discomfort during the days. It has led to shorter naps and some serious meltdowns. And H is gnawing on everything. If you look closely you can see teeth marks on all of his toys. (This is a big reason we have been going with natural wooden toys as much as possible. So I don't freak out about the toxins he is consuming. Paranoid...perhaps. I never said I wasn't paranoid.)

So what is all the fuss about? See for yourself! H has two glorious teeth on the bottom and he is getting some seriously large front teeth on the top. I fear we are entering the beaver stage of our photographs.

If you want a real close up just click on the photo and you will get a larger than life experience.

Moonlit nights...

Recently, I have been tip-toeing into H's room at night before I go to bed. I lay next to him and watch him sleeping. It is during this time of day that I let all of the worries and preoccupations fall away and I am just left in a dark room looking at my son in amazement. That Jason and I brought this little being into the world is still awe inspiring to me. At times, it is hard for me to believe that the little boy sleeping in that bed is the same baby we gave birth to at the beginning of March. Time passes so quickly right now. I guess my night time visits are my way of trying to slow things down...even if just for a moment.

Avocado!

The most recent new food for Hendrick was avocado. We selected some absolutely beautiful avocados at Berkeley Bowl this Sunday and went home, made a lovely puree and then Hendrick got his first mouthful for dinner. I appreciate his complete trust in us. He greeted the new food with an open mouth and great enthusiasm. Once the avocado was in a look of confusion crossed his face. "What is this?" Jason and I were wondering if this was going to be the first food Hendrick didn't like. Not so. After swallowing his first bite he finished off the bowl like a champ.