Three Months

In the last month, Baby Grady and I have actually started to settle into something that is approaching a schedule of sorts. This makes me pretty happy, as I really like routines, because I am an enormous dork. Would you like to hear about our schedule? Of course you would. That’s why you come here, right? For inane tales of my adventures? Or is it just for the pictures?

Well, here it is anyway. Because it’s all I’ve got:

Typically between 7 and 8, Grady has his last in-bed nursing session, then sometimes we grin and talk to the ceiling and kick our feet a bit. But usually we get actually out of bed between 8 and 8:30. Then I pump my boobs and Grady kicks his feet and talks to the ceiling fan. Then we go into the kitchen. Grady gets in his swing, where he continues to chatter and kick his feet. I scald my milk, make some decaf coffee, and pour myself some dry cereal. It is dry, because if I add milk then I inevitably won’t get to eat it until three hours later. It’s a law of nature, that there cereal phenomenon.

By the time all this is done, Grady is ready to eat again, obviously. For the next few hours, he nurses repeatedly, plays a little, and at some point takes at least a short post-snack nap. Around noon or so we strategize and plan for our big adventure. Meaning, the part of the day when we actually leave the house. Which we do pretty much every day, as though we are akin to productive and impressive people. Leaving the house means everyone has to be awake, full, and wearing pants simultaneously. It takes some work, really! Within 10-20 minutes of leaving the house, Grady will usually be asleep, but if I try to get him out of the house when he’s already asleep, he will wake up and then he is crankypants.

Our big adventures are usually some hiking/walking thing that take about an hour-and-a-half. Sometimes we hike to Lake Chabot; sometimes we walk to the good coffee shop; sometimes we simply walk the streets and run some errands. Once we went to Target and I’ll have you know that Baby Grady was quite fond of the Target. I don’t blame him, but when he’s older I’ll teach him to at least have a little shame about it. Because, come on. Target!

If I’m being honest, I’m usually hungry when we leave the house, because what with all the things that need to happen for us to get out the door (see: pants, and also, pants), feeding myself is low-priority. So if I’m lucky, I packed myself a snack. If not, I usually start craving a Coke. Really, a Coke, can you believe that nonsense? Well, actually a Diet Coke, but I am trying to cut back on creepy neurotoxins while breastfeeding, so Coke it is. Except that I never have one. These are the exercises in self-control that keep me feeling spry.

When we get home, Grady wakes up and acts as though I have been starving him for days. And days! So I nurse him for awhile. Sometimes it’s a really epic thing that pretty much takes the rest of the day. Sometimes not. On days when we have free time, he works out in his baby gyms while I have a late lunch. We check the grounds. We dance and sing.

In the evening, Jasper gets home and Grady gets cranky (though evenings have gotten much better lately) (though Jasper would tell you they have not) (in fact when I said they had, he called me an incorrigible half-fullist) (he might have a point). We baby-juggle through dinner and get in bed around 9. Grady is happy when we get in bed, because then he can resume talking to the ceiling without my constant interruptions. At some point after getting in bed, Grady nurses to sleep and then, well, it’s night. Which probably sounds really luxurious... like, usually going to bed by 10, and sleeping until 7 or 8? But then there’s the fact that I am up every two hours all night long to feed the munchkin. And sometimes, I lie awake while my baby sleeps, because I don’t fall back asleep until the next time he wants to nurse. So, I mean, I’m not that well-rested is what I’m saying.

Also lately, Grady has been practicing his grabbing skills. Here he is grabbing the leg of an elephant in his baby gym. (He works out!) (That link makes noise.) (As you likely could have guessed.):

How much Baby Grady weighs: 16 lbs 7 oz (Still pretty gigantic.)
Size of Baby Grady’s clothes: 3 month pants; 6 month onesies and pajamas... it seems he is a rather long baby, especially in his torso, which he gets from me.
Number of bottles (of breastmilk) Baby Grady has consumed: two (Yes still. He won’t drink from a bottle anymore. Which means... this needs to be fixed before I return to work. Or I can’t go back to work? Has that ever happened?)
Bottle and nipple types Grady now rejects: Avent, Born Free, Adiri, NUK, Tommee Tippie, latex, silicone, slow-flow, medium-flow, and fast-flow (Yes that is ALL THE KINDS.) (Not actually. I currently have the Medela Calma and the Comotomo still to try.) (If these don’t work, the First Years Breastflow is my only hope. Which would of course make it the Obi Wan Kenobi of bottles. I will have to order that one from Amazon, since I can’t find it locally.)

Baby Grady’s eye color: we’re perplexed, so I’m going with “hazel” since I’ve never really known what that means, but I think it’s rather muddled
Baby Grady’s hair color: brown, looking blond in some light, with large, boob-seeking bald patch in the back

Baby Grady’s favorite: Josh Ritter, boobs, ceiling fans, being outside, his star chart, his polyhedron mobile, Pardners, Blueberries for Sal, The House on East 88th St., Bob Marley? maybe?
Baby Grady’s least favorite: nursing in public, Frog and Toad