Adventures in Babyland

Ugh, time has been flying by. I've recovered from mastitis, but unfortunately, Elias is now in full-on teething mode: VERY CRANKY and it would seem somewhat tired of his mommy. We had a rough day with lots of crying into mommy's ear and dissatisfaction with just about everything. Ugh. Elias has had some great times though, in the past week, and some memorable moments.

His Nana came to visit Wednesday night. He was real taken with her right away. I guess I should say for the both of them it was love at first sight. On the ride home from the airport, Eli screamed like a banshee and was completely inconsolable. Another incident in support of NOT taking any long road trips with the little guy. I felt sick he cried so hard. When we pulled into the driveway, I swooped him up in my arms for a big squeeze and a hands-on attempt at consolation. It worked, and we went speedily to bed. It was past his bedtime anyway.

The next day, we had a grand time playing with Nana. She was so amazingly sweet and funny with Elias. He liked her smile and her sense of humor, I could tell. She liked his smile and his sweetness. It was a good match! That evening, we went to see Grandma Boe. Eli had his crank on and did a weird cry in dad's direction. I'm going to blame the bulk of this new crankiness on the teeth.

The following day, which was Friday, I became an official heiffer. Mom (Nana) babysat Elias while I went to Kaiser and learned how to milk myself with an electronic milking device (A.K.A. "Pump in style" Medela Breastpump). It's kinda cool, I guess. I mean I no longer have to literally pump myself like a well. It still takes up both hands, makes a distracting sound and causes me to feel somewhat silly.

Elias was again crabby. When I called to check in, Mom said that Eli was really having a good cry. When I got home, his face was all blotchy, sweaty and red and he was ready for milk. He had to drink the bottle because I had just pumped, but seemed to calm down after that. He went to bed early that night. Oh, did I mention he no longer sleeps through the night? Oh yeah, goodtimes!

After an awesome visit getting to know his Nana, Elias sadly said goodbye to her on Saturday morning. I was so moved by how much they both seemed to love each other and it really made me weary for being closer to home and to my family. I don't want him to miss out on spending time with his best "Nan."

That afternoon, Elias finally pooed after 3-4 days without, and boy was it a landslide! He seemed to feel less cranky after that, who can blame him?? We went to a birthing class reunion, where he promptly found his crank again. He's been having trouble eating, going to the breast like he is hungry, but not making the commitment to eat. I read somewhere that teething can really bother babies while eating because the sucking further irritates the already sore gums. Oh, on this day, he also practically crawled! He got up on all fours, it was amazing! He didn't stay up for long, but it is a start! He definitely can roll like a tootsie, push-up like an Olympian, and creep like a spider!

Sunday morning, we went for a blustery walk. Elias had such a good cuddle in the Bjorn. He was pretty cranky again when we got home, but we managed to have a sleepy day. We watched a sign language video for babies. I think Elias is really going to get into signing. He seemed very aware and interested in my hands today when I made some simple signs his way. I look forward to being able to communicate better with him so that I can better understand and respond to his needs.

Today, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, was a challenge. He was very cranky and screamy all day (on and off). I hate it, but there's not much I can do except try to distract and just be there. :-( He was actually feeling somewhat better this evening, just in time for Brad, and what I struggled to not define as him not liking and being fed-up me, was a smiley face and a giggle for the great guy he loves lots, his dad.