Say What?

Here's Justin @ about 3 months old. His latest movie answers the question, "When Does Justin Talk?"
Enjoy!

Blog... What Blog?

Who's got time to keep up with a blog?! The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind for me and V... which of course now puts me in the dreaded position of trying to figure out how to best summarize 17 days of break-neck-speed activity in a way that is actually intelligible and reader-friendly. Aside from the three entries that I planted just before this one, it seems like it's been forever since the last post was published.

Things actually slowed down a couple of days ago. It has just taken me that long to figure out what in the world I was going to write. Well, I never did figured that out, but figured that I better just jump in with the highlights and let the details sort themselves out. Otherwise I'd wait forever and the blog would never get updated again.

Justin Alexander
I'm happy to announce that we have not broken our new toy yet; Justin is still alive and well. Most notably, he endured his first "common cold" about 10 days ago. Coughing, congestion, snot nose... the whole nine yards. The boy was a mess! But he handled it well and I think he looked and sounded more miserable than he really was. Never really got fussy, and fortunately never broke much of a fever. Of course mommy got sick too since she couldn't stop kissing on him... But then again, it is still debatable as to who got who sick. It was all the same to me though; double doctor duty until everyone was back up to par. And if nothing else, at least we now know that his immune system passed it's first test with flying colors.

No More Novelas
Probably the biggest news over the past two weeks... Millie is no longer our baby sitter. As it turns out, she only took the job in order to save up enough money to pay her bills and get her water and lights turned back on. She also needed a place to bathe while her water was shut off (which explains the wet towels and wash clothes tucked in the back of the closet)... And so once she made enough money to pay her bill collectors, she simply left and never came back.

Okay... that's not exactly true... but honestly speaking, to me the truth sounds just as ridiculous and so I figured I'd spare you the details and make up my own story. In the end, Millie did indeed leave unexpectedly over some foolishness; leaving V and I scrambling to find a new childcare provider dead smack in the middle of the semester. It was kind of crazy around here for about 10 days as we zigzagged between work, child care interviews and temporary sitters (much love to Yanna, Tanya, Cuadra, Mimi and my student "Ms. Britt" for coming thru in a pinch). On a day when back-up plans A, B, C, D, E, F, AND G all fell through at the same time (Good Ol' Murphy's Law), Justin actually ended up in class with me at the University. Talk about adventure. That was definitely one for memory lane.



In the end, our patience (and hustle) paid off as I don't think we could've landed in a better situation when it was all said and done. As of this coming Monday, Justin will start his term as president of what seems like a phenomenal home childcare program (okay, so he won't be president... but if the other kids could vote I'm sure he'd be elected). In terms of available hours, price, convenience of location, qualifications, and the amount of developmental care that he'll be getting; it's hard to imagine that we could have found anyplace better... and trust me, we saw a lot of daycare programs over the past few weeks. I feel like an expert now.

In all honesty, even though I'm happy to be done with the "Millie era", I still have to (grudgingly) admit that everything has its season. My guess is that she was exactly what we needed for that particular time. But now Justin is definitely at a point in his activity level and mental development to where he doesn't need a "babysitter" anymore (i.e., feed, hold, and watch tv)... but he needs more structure than what we had set up for him in our absence... Or as Mrs. Rita put it, at this point he needs every opportunity possible to "stimulate his physical, intellectual, social and emotional growth in a comfortable environment." For me, the biggest thing I'm looking forward to is more constructive interaction for him with both adults and (especially) children. In fact, I've told V for a while now that I think he is "so ready" for some interaction with other little people. This was quickly confirmed during our interview process and trips to the different daycare centers. It was his first time around other people his size and he seemed totally confused, interested and enthused at the same time... totally amused by the presence of dozens of other little people that talked, walked and looked just like him. He was totally beside himself, and you could almost smell the smoke as the gears in his head turned at lightning speed trying to process it all. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Back to the daycare though... There are only 4 kids total, including Justin. And the hours are great, too. To be honest, it was nice having him with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Millie only worked MWF)... but I'd be lying if I said that trying to juggle my "real job" and Justin's ever changing needs and temperament wasn't wearing on me during those "work from home" days. Something had to give, and of course it was my job every time. In addition to that, I also didn't realize until it was all said and done how much the lack of flexible hours on MWF (late start time, early completion time) was wearing on me in the previous situation... leaving me either hustling to get to work ontime, or hustling back home to relieve her of her duties. Again everything has it's season, and it definitely served it's purpose (I cannot deny that she took great care of Justin). But in hindsight, I sure am glad that seasons do change.

Anyway, I'm probably have plenty more to say about this next stage as it progresses. But for now, I should start wrapping up this entry.

The Grandparent Joneses
In other news, my parents came to visit from PA for what was an extended Columbus day weekend for them (although V and I both still worked on Monday). To no surprise, Justin amazed them and had them trying to figure out every which way to see him more often. Maybe I can get grandma to write her own blog entry about it. I don't think my attempt to describe their excitement would do it any justice. I can only say that they were true-to-form grandparents and celebrated every breath, sound, and bowel movement that Justin made while they were here. And speaking of bowel movements... let it be officially known and documented that my dad is not allowed to spend time with Justin again until he is willing to change at least one dirty diaper. Hey... You've gotta take the good with the bad.

So aside from the usual mayhem (V still pumping milk around the clock, umpteen meetings at work, church obligations, 12 million midterm papers to grade, grass to mow, unsold houses, and sprouting business ventures, to name a few)... that's our last 3 weeks in a nutshell.

I'm sure I've forgotten 1/2 dozen things... but if I think of 'em and they seem worth documenting, then I'll get to them in due time. And as usual I'll do what I can to not fall so far behind in my account of our lives.

But as always... I make no promises!!!

Two Feet and Rising

STRETCHHHHHHHHHHHHH....



At about three months Justin officially broke the 24 inch mark and was proud to be able to tell everyone that he was two feet tall. The trouble is, no one can understand him just yet; but that doesn't stop him from talking up a storm.

In fact, his talking has become kind of comical, and once he gets started it is pretty much impossible to get him to be quiet. And as I'm reminded of every Tuesday and Thursday when he comes to my independent study class with me: Don't try to talk over him. If you get louder... he gets louder. You ignore him... and he still gets louder. The only surefire why to get him it clam up is to grab the video camera. It never fails. It's like he smells the thing or something. As soon as he see's it coming... BAM. Instant silence, which is why it has taken me forever to get good footage of his monologue. And so already, at only 15 weeks old, my son has already found a way to make a mockery of my efforts. I guess some things are innate afterall. Nonetheless, I've remained determined to catch his babbling on tape while he and his mom just laugh at me.

As of sometime this week, V and I also agreed that he seems to be starting the teething process. Except for the irritability that is supposed to come with it, all of the other symptoms seem to be there (mostly profuse drooling and a constant desire to put EVERYTHING in his mouth and gnaw on it). What's neat is that his desire to find something good to gnaw and scratch his gums with has given him a newfound motivation to seek out new things to grab and hold onto. It's cool to watch him discover, especially since he clearly amazes his own self with his ability to grab and hold onto new objects... but of course it has its downside... like yesterday at Outback Steakhouse when he swiped a bowl right off the table and was about a half second away from dropping it on the floor before V and I caught wind of what he was doing. It's "first time" moments like that that really remind us how much he changes from one day to the next. One second he's an invalid with no ability to grab, and before you know it you've gotta watch him like a hawk to make sure he's not smacking himself in the head with some metal object that you didn't even know was in reach.

Geez... what happens when he can walk?

And speaking of which... Justin is still as adament as ever about standing up and trying to walk. He still has zero interest in crawling but instead will pull himself up to his feet at every single opportunity that you give him. Even throughout the day, more often than not, if he starts to cry or get fussy it's probably because he wants to stand up. And don't try to sit him in your lap because he we just pop right up to his feet at the first chance he gets. But give him two fingers to hold onto and the boy is as happy as a lark. I don't know why that excites him so... but hey, whatever works.

We also didn't have a clue as to how unusual this was for his age until about 8 different people brought it to our attention over the past couple of weeks. But hey, we're new parents; what do we know? Either way, I'm still skeptical as to if this will really translate to him walking anytime soon. It's just way too early, and the balancing part of it is still eluding him... but at this point I have to honestly say that few things surprise me with this kid. So we'll see. If he got up and walked tomorrow, I can't say I'd be shocked.

Last but not least, with a little help from Dad, Justin also took his first shower last week. V was inspired by her co-workers who had grandchildren already in swimming lessons at 3 months old (wow)... and so we decided to at least work on his level of comfort and affinity for water just to see where it landed us. And so we started with the shower. Long story short, he did phenomenally well and has come a loooooong way from the absolute panic and terror he exhibited at 1 month old. At that point, a single drop of water in his eye, mouth or nose would send him into a tailspin between holding his breathe and screaming histerically (I'm sure that was a sight that neither V nor her mom will ever forget... talk about scary). Now, two months later, he's in the shower dipping his head back into the water stream like some kind of Paul Mitchell commericial.




Give him another week and he'll be taking a Calgon bubble bath.

Or maybe not.