Taking a Bite out of Life

Just as every Spring appears as the light at the end of a very long Wintery tunnel, the Sutor household can see the end of it's own (rite of) passage. Through a little fussiness, a few more tears and an amazing amount of drool, Teddy has produced two small teeth. The little white nubs appear front and center on his bottom gum line. Upon the second tooth becoming more prominent, the ailments associated with teething faded. The house was filled with Teddy joy once more. 

All of this being said, I must add that the drool has yet to subside. Our child is remarkably similar to a broken kitchen faucet. Nothing can stop it. We are resigned to changing the lad's bib every few hours. The poor boy is drooling so much that he'll occasionally gag himself. (Editor's Note: It's actually pretty funny when he does this.) We're only left to wonder if the attitude improvement is simply the 'eye of the storm' before additional stalactite-esque teeth begin to force their way out. Only time will tell. 

As I briefly touched on in January, Teddy sort of walks. That was when he was 6.5 months old. He's now just over 8 months old and the kid sort of runs now. I add the caveat to both statements because (luckily for us) Teddy still believes that he needs to hold our hands to accomplish either of these feats. If the boy wants to move, he reaches for our hands. Once we're holding hands, he picks himself off of the ground - all on his own - and begins walking in the direction of his choosing. He can honestly be hard to keep up with at times. He'd move much more quickly if I wasn't doubled over shuffling after him. 

When he's up and moving, he can be a little wobbly at times. This is to be expected, I suppose. He is still pretty young. Though when he's fed and rested his movements are certain, deliberate and very stable. I think that if he believed in himself a little bit more that we would be in a World of trouble. I would worry about pushing him too fast or encouraging this behavior too much, if it weren't for the fact that Teddy sometimes only wants to walk around. What I mean is: Teddy will fuss until we offer our hands to him. He exhibits every indication that he wants to be up and moving. It's pretty clear that this is what he wishes to do. He'll get mad at us if we don't offer our support and lap the condo with him repeatedly. I expect him to be walking on his own well before his First Birthday. 

Now, let's place the entirety of this remarkable physical achievement aside and focus on the standard method of travel for babies: crawling. This notion simply baffles Teddy. It alludes him entirely. The lad can get up on all fours. He can wiggle a little while on all fours. That is most often followed by a crash to the ground as he sprawls out spread-eagle and humps the ground. After several cycles of this pattern, Teddy becomes wildly displeased and cries. 

I do have hope that he'll become coordinated enough to crawl, even a little, very soon. I say this because: three weeks ago I went into Teddy's room one morning to get him ready for the day. Teddy was sitting up in his crib smiling at me when I walked in. Whoa! "How did you do that, little buddy?" The following night, I heard Teddy call out sometime around 2am. I clicked on the monitor and could see him sitting up in his crib. 

It was only a few days later that Jenna and I witnessed his new trick first hand. While wiggling on the couch between Jenna and I, Teddy managed to prop his right leg out wide and use his upper body to rock into a seated position. Celebrations and applause quickly followed. It only took another week or more before Teddy could do this new trick at will. The new found control over his horizontal or vertical arrangement makes him happy. He now rarely allows himself to be laying flat on his back and only occasionally will he move to his tummy. Seated or standing is how Teddy takes on the World. Gone are the days of simply laying around! 

Dressed up for a get together 

Headed to Brunch

Sweet Potato Dance Party

Teddy's introduction into the World of Food has had some ups and downs. He hasn't taken to all of the assorted baby food goops that we've offered him. After a bit of consideration, I suppose this is understandable. The little guy is only used to bland tastes. For his entire life, he's only tasted formula and a handful of other non-edible items (like, bips, burp cloths, socks, onesies, his feet... ). The idea of sticking mushed pineapple in his mouth likely sets his mouth and senses ablaze.

He gave us some resistance when we first poked a colorful plastic spoon into his face. He was locked into a Bumbo. He was sitting on our kitchen counter. All of these things were not just new they were wildly distracting. I devised a plan to keep Teddy's attention on us feeding him as opposed to the environment. I decided to play Raggae.

Feeding time became intertwined with Caribbean excitement. We'd begin the process by playing Pandora stations and dancing in the kitchen together. I'd pop him into the Bumbo and maintain a rhythm while feeding the lad. It's now to the point where Teddy's exhibiting a Pavlovian salvation to the sound of steel drums. We began with a Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad Pandora station. That then changed over to the simplistically beautiful "Raggae" station. The boy loves it.

We started feeding time by offering Teddy Apple baby food. I love apples, so I thought Teddy might as well. He reluctantly choked down the jar over several nights. His hesitance and sour faces were assumed to be the result of an actual flavor sending is taste buds into a panic.

 

Next, we tried Sweet Potatoes. This kid cannot get enough sweet potatoes. He loves them. Jenna and I laughed as he would reach out for the spoon with his mouth opened wide. He would pull our hands closer to his face. Being new to foods, we can only give Teddy an ounce or two of something each night. He looked so sad when we'd stop feeding him sweet potatoes. He'd stare at us with great concern when dinner time was over and we'd begin making his nightly pre-bed bottle.

After the success of the Sweet Potatoes, we thought Teddy had the entire eating process locked down. We moved on to the next jar: Peaches. Prior to explaining what happened, I'd like to add the disclaimer that I, too, found the Peaches a bit tart.

Teddy's first taste of Peaches might as well have been a first taste of pure lemon juice. His face contorted and compressed upon itself. His already little face did the impossible: it became even littler. Jenna and I looked at each other with wide eyed questions. We tried again. Upon this spoonful Teddy rubbed his face with his hands and then began to gag. Mouth open, unashamed gagging. Hack. Hack. "Okay, it looks like we've had enough of this for the night." Being the Super Parents that we are, we chalked this up to him being very tired that evening.

The next time, we attempted Peaches again. The exact same gagging continued. With the Peaches striking me as a bit tart, we decided to abandon the Peaches and move onto Carrots. This would be more savory as opposed to sweet or tart. No such luck. Upon a spoonful of mushed Carrots, Teddy gagged again. Curious. "Maybe he still thinks it's a spoon full of Peaches. Let's be patient and give him another spoon of Carrots". Gagging continues. Hacking continues.

The next three seconds were the most shocking and horrifying thing I have experienced as a parent. Teddy projectile vomited everything in his little body onto our kitchen floor. Judging by the amount and the force with which it all left his body so suddenly, I am impressed he had bones left in his frame. Aside from filling the pocket in his bib, he coated: himself, the Bumbo, the counter, the floor and anything in the immediate 'splash zone'.

Parents of the Year here. We'll feed our child until he vomits.

It's true what they say about children 'being built not to fall apart'. After this oral explosion... Teddy laughed. Admittedly, he still looked dazed but his laugh let us know he was okay. Jenna and I were quite relieved to find our child unharmed. Soaking but unharmed.

We apologized to the little fella and began cleaning the kitchen. We immediately started Bath Time. I mean, what else do you do with a child that's coated in - what appeared to be - 200 ounces of formula and four spoon fulls of gross baby food?

After a bath, Teddy was happy as a clam. We attempted to feed him before bed; since his tummy was obviously very empty. He punished 8 ounces of formula and drifted off to sleep in my arms... just as though nothing had happened.

Parents of the Year.

The next few nights we gave Teddy a break from solids (read: baby goop). He's now jumped back into the eating game wholeheartedly. He's eating as much Sweet Potato goo as we'll give him. I suppose we'll continue to try other foods; but will keep a healthy supply of Sweet Potatoes on hand.

In other, and very exciting, news: Teddy kind of walks. He's 6.5 months and he's kind of getting the idea of walking. While playing with Teddy yesterday evening, I held his hands so he was standing between my legs. As I began to walk forward, pulling his hands forward slowly with me, Teddy would step to keep up. He definitely gets the idea of one foot in front of the other. His Right foot has a clear 'step' to it. The Left foot would occasionally drag a little as he moved it forward. Nevertheless, it was definitely walking. He needed my support but he was walking. That was a surprising development that I wasn't expecting.

When Jenna came home, Teddy and I put on a show "walking" around the living room. Teddy, of course, had a big smile on his face the entire time.

More to come soon!

Likely topic for my next update: How impossible it is to baby-proof our house.

Not yet crawling, but he loves to be up and looking around. 

I believe this is the best picture of Teddy yet.

Christmas Time: Not Sleeping In A Manger

I found that I was becoming more excited about Christmas this year than in recent years. I suppose that was because of Teddy and the notion that all children simply LOVE Christmas. I had considered that Teddy was a little too young to 'get it' but would have fun nonetheless. I didn't realize how right I would be. 

The first Christmas tree that Teddy saw up close was at my Mom's house. She had decorated the tree earlier in the day and made certain not to turn on the tree lights until I came over after work. We made sure to make a big production about the lighting of the Christmas tree for Teddy. With a fake drum-roll-like sound, Mom plugged in the lights and ... nothing. No reaction out of Teddy. The beautifully trimmed tree sat ablaze before him in all it's magical yuletide glory yet Teddy could not have cared less. Based upon Teddy's tendencies for bright or flashing lights, I thought that a Christmas tree would have blown his little grapefruit-sized mind. Nope. He paid about as much attention to the lit tree as he did to the couch or the stool or the rug. Hopefully next year will be a little different. 

Throughout Christmas preparations Teddy's only passing fancy was in wrapping paper. When Jenna set-up a 'Wrapping Station' on our livingroom floor, Teddy would key in on the odd noise that the paper would make. The unrolling, the cutting, the wrapping noises all caught Teddy's attention. I began to wonder if we should have actually spent good money on toys for him and instead just wrapped and unwrapped things in front of him weekly. 

On Christmas Eve, the family met up with my Mom to attend an evening church service together. We sat at the back of the church - near an exit - just in case Teddy had a well-timed meltdown. I have to say, Teddy is a great baby when we go out in public. Teddy was fascinated by all the new faces. He even tried to sing along to a few songs. Throughout the entire service, Teddy was quietly scanning the crowd around us. When someone would lock eyes with him, he'd break into a big smile. This kid already knows how to work a room. After the service, an elderly lady came up to us in the parking lot. She asked all about Teddy. She complimented him on how well behaved he was in the church. She finished by telling us how much of a "flirt" Teddy was. He evidently captured the attention of several older ladies who sat near us and would give them little smiles on and off during the service. I'm so proud of my son. 

The main thing to speak of over the last month is Teddy's development as a little person. Our good friend Beth (Hi, Beth!) told me a while back that babies' brains just 'switch on' at 6 months. Well, that's so true. Right around 5.5 months, Teddy suddenly became so much more interactive. On our trip to Pittsburgh over Christmas to visit Jenna's family, Teddy was shockingly aware of the changes around him. When he studies his surroundings now, you can see the little gears turning in his head. He's much more adventurous and tries to explore anything that he can get his hands on. Other little things changed too. He no longer hates his car seat. He enjoys getting in the 'Teddy Mobile' car seat each day. Teddy happily snoozes in the car seat now. He also suddenly refuses to have his arms swaddled. (Side Note: Jenna and I are thrilled that we don't have to figure out a way to ease him out of swaddling. Thanks, little buddy.) All of this just changed over night. It's amazing to watch. 

Very early in the New Year, we took Teddy to the doctor for his 6 month check-up. Everything is perfect with the little guy. Teddy is now 17 pounds 10 ounces (50% percentile). He's also 28.25" tall (95% percentile). We have a string bean on our hands! 

We also talked to the doctor about how much Teddy wakes up each night. We said how Teddy wakes up every three hours to eat still. He's not just snacking at those times either. Teddy is putting down 6-8 ounces with each feeding throughout the night. The doctor said the most amazing thing to Jenna and I. She said, "No 18 pound 6 month old needs to be eating during the night. Stop feeding him." And with those beautiful words, Aggressive Sleep Training has begun. Jenna and I couldn't be happier. Teddy is adapting fairly well to his new routine. He seems to be making the long stretches during the night without feeding just fine. We decided to feed him once around 12a-1a in a decreasing amount over a two week period. We started with 5 ounces and are stair stepping down to no feeding at all. As the little guy adjusts, he'll have a good night followed by a bad night. Either way, he's learning to sleep longer and eat more during the day. I am thrilled. 6 months with very little "good" sleep as an adult is a dagger. Even though we're still not sleeping all the way through the night, the extra sleep has made me feel better already. Hooray! I'll hopefully give an energetic and well-rested update in a couple of weeks. 

Here are a few of pictures from Teddy on Christmas Day. He had no idea what was going on but loved the new toys. 

Each time I look at this picture, I feel as though Teddy is finishing saying, "I know, right?"

Christmas Merriment

What are you doooing, Mom? 

Thanksgiving and other Phases

Thanksgiving has come and gone and Teddy grows a more complicated man by the day. His "phases" change with the tides. Jenna and I are buckled into a roller coaster ride of wonder and anticipation. What will come next?

I'll begin by gleefully announcing that Teddy has dropped his beloved squealing. Praise the old Gods and the new. That habit couldn't have left our house fast enough. A lost, ravenous wolf may have found more welcome at our Thanksgiving dinner than Teddy's shrill exclamation of excitement. He has since replaced this noise in his repertoire with a lower volume, yet equally as odd, tongue and lip vibration. The lad sounds as though he's rolling his 'R's in rudimentary Spanish language class. It appears as though this noise is simply meant to express boredom - or for those of you who have glasses half-full - an expression of contentment. He may just enjoy the way the sound feels on his lips. Who is to say?

Teddy has also recently found the core strength of a mid-80's Russian gymnast. No more are the days of a wobbly young man perched atop his father's lap; both hands gripping tightly to the arms of a paternal tweed coat. Teddy now presents firmly in his stature and boasts the lower body strength of the average 1 year old (give or take). I'm proud to say that at 5 months old, Teddy stands on his own while supporting himself against a chair, table or stool. He needs work on his yaw and roll axes. His pitch, however, is perfect. This may or may not be standard for a 5 month old; however, I'll choose to not do the research and remain impressed by my little man.

Our little champion has seemed to either be unaware of the coming Christmas celebration or he has aloofly resolved himself to not caring. Try as I might to inspire a since of awe and excitement in the wee boy, Teddy remains most impressed by funny noises and faces that his father can produce. (Side Note: This past Saturday morning, Teddy and I were up before dawn and in our living room. A kung-fu movie was on the television. Teddy thought my karate skills were absolutely hilarious. He was gut-laughing at my overly elaborate tiger-style. I digress.) Nevertheless, I am SO excited about Christmas morning. Jenna and I have already purchased a small handful of toys for Teddy. There are further discussions into more substantial gifts as well.

The family recently attended a friend's one-year birthday party. Teddy sat quietly in my lap; in awe of the toys that little Brody was playing with on the floor. Teddy remained in unblinking, soldier-like attention has the birthday boy opened his gifts. The noise, the colors, the gifts and the paper wrapping were an incredible thrill. I'm really hoping that we (read: Santa) can bring about this same wonderment on Christ's birthday.

Update on Christmas to come!

Changing Seasons and Still Growing Like a Weed

Young Teddy is becoming more lively and alert with every passing day. He busies himself with a never-ending urge to remain upright. This is all well and good; however, he seems, for the time being, unable to do so by himself. The 4 month old (almost 5 month old!) requires a touch of assistance to prop himself upright. This always brings glee and fascination to his little face.

Once upright, Teddy flashes a big smile as he glances at his environment. Looking downward upon things has become a new thrill for the lad. His attention is quickly turned to his lower limbs and their purpose. While sitting, Teddy generally explores his feet with his hands... and then tries to place his feet in his mouth. This usually results in a doubled-over child and some odd, labored breathing noises. Mother and Father are quick to remedy this situation. 

Teddy has also welcomed the changing season with a new sound to his growing repertoire. The child now squeals. Yeah. He makes a pig-esque noise. This originally stemmed from sheer joy. He would emit a squeal when being tickled or when finding his Father's jokes hysterical. The time for squealing has now transitioned to be appropriate at a multitude of other sub-optimal times. Teddy will squeal when tired. He will squeal loudly when he wants something. He will squeal really loudly when helping his Father get ready in the morning. I can say, for certain, that I have never felt the occasion to squeal pre-7am and whilst shaving. Never.

The Winter months (and the Weather Channel named "Arctic Bomb" that has recently dropped temperatures) have suited Teddy very well. I now dress him in the morning in several layers of baby onesies and footed jumpers. The little man has always found dressing and undressing pretty funny. He is now afforded the laughs of watching his Father struggle to add even more clothes to his wiggling body. Pure delight and squeals abound. 

I have now also been placing Teddy inside of a ridiculously comfortable looking LL Bean coat and sleeping bag hybrid bubble jacket. I call it Teddy's Gnome Suit. Teddy seems unsure of the garment each (and every) morning when preparing to leave the house; however, quickly settles into the warm layers and falls asleep. He couldn't be any cuter zipped into this warm, down, bubble bundle. It's also certainly doing the trick of keeping Teddy alive, as it's been well below freezing the last several mornings as we've exited the house. 

I am making a firm commitment to begin writing more on this Blog. There have been many, many undocumented Dadventures over the last several months. That is a shame. Though, I suspect that there are many more to come. Next stop: The Holidays! 

Special Moments

Great moments with Teddy come in all forms. I get a special thrill every morning when I am getting him ready to go to my Mom's house for the day. He is so excited and happy for the new day. He coos and smiles and talks to me while I change him and feed him before we leave the house. I don't know anyone who is that excited for each new day. For Teddy, pre-7am on a week day is a magical time.

Other great moments come unexpectedly. One of these moments occurred in my groggy, sleepy state at about 5:30am on Saturday morning. Teddy is not yet sleeping through the night and requires feedings early in the morning. He generally wakes up between 12a-1:30a and then again before 3a-4a. Jenna and I have begun trying to sooth him back to sleep during the 3a-4a time. Sometimes this works and Teddy will sleep until 6a. Other times this doesn't work at all.

Saturday morning, Teddy needed to be fed around 5a and was simply having a rough time. I fed him and found that he wouldn't settle back down. Whenever he was laid down he'd begin wailing all over again. He was gassy or fussy or afflicted by some other strange baby nighttime ailment. I resigned myself to holding my little boy so that he could go back to sleep.

I closed the bedroom door so that we didn't wake Jenna. One handed, I managed to get my headphones and plug them into the back of the TV. Scrolling through available movies, I stopped on Boyhood (2014). I'd read about the movie and was interested in seeing it. Richard Linklater is brilliant at times and this was an ambitious project. The movie was actually filmed over 12 years using the same boy as an actor. In the film, we follow the main character from elementary school through graduation from high school and the start of college. Each step along the way was spaced out by a year or two. The audience sees the main character grow up during the length of the movie.

While the movie wasn't as amazing as other Richard Linklater work, it felt 'special'. Watching the film while holding my own son in my arms felt even more special. During our early morning viewing, I would occasionally look down at Teddy. He had no idea any of this was going on. All he knew was that he was in Dad's arms and was warm and happy. He slept with his mouth open and snored from time to time.

I couldn't entirely relate to the story of Boyhood. The main character, Mason Junior, and I have very little in common. My parents didn't have me 'too early' in life. My mom didn't date a string of alcoholics. I never felt like too much of an outsider in life. The specifics of the story aside, the themes of growing up and the challenges the character faced rang very true. I could relate to moving to a new school (multiple times). I could relate to being disappointed routinely by my father figure. I could relate to the struggle of attempting to find out who you really are. I believe that we all would be begin to reminisce of times from our teenage years when presented with these common themes.

As the sun began to rise and light split by the trees started tracking across our living room, I thought about how I was exactly where I wanted to be. While sleep is a distant oasis that I am continuously chasing, I wouldn't have traded a week of sleep for that moment.

Teddy has a lifetime of happiness, excitement, sadness, challenges and joy ahead of him. He's going to grow up just as Mason Jr did in Boyhood. He will become his own person and build his own little place in the world. All of that can wait for the time being.

At the end of Boyhood there's the line, "You know how everyone’s always saying seize the moment? I don’t know, I’m kind of thinking it’s the other way around, you know, like the moment seizes us". On Saturday, Sept 20th at sunrise, Teddy was happy to hold onto my shirt while he slept in my arms. Richard Linklater couldn't have been more right.

Growing Like a Weed

Teddy turned two months old yesterday. It's a bit bitter sweet. I'm sure all parents reading this article could agree with that thought. On one hand, I want him to develop enough to sleep hours and hours on end. I would kill for consecutive nights of un-interrupted sleep. <Pauses. Thinking.> Yes, I would kill for that. I can only imagine that he too would be happier if he slept consistently longer throughout the night.

Teddy in My Arms

On the other hand, I want my little Teddy to stay so sweet and small. He's already getting arm-tiring heavy. I just know that he'll graduate to shoulder-dislocating, back-surgery-requiring heavy in no time. So sad. He still curls into a little ball in my arms when I pick him up. I'll gladly begin regular 'roid injections if it'll allow me to hold him like that until he goes to college. Aside from the crippling psychological damage that it'll do him, I think it'll keep me happy and centered over the next 18 years.

Jenna and I took Teddy to his two month doctor's appointment yesterday. The doctor and nurses were quite pleased with his development. Here is the breakdown.

He now weighs in at 12 lbs 9 ounces. That's the 75th percentile.

He's 24 inches long; which places him in the 90th percentile. (Though I argue they didn't stretch him enough to get an accurate measurement)

His head is proportional (FTW!) and is in the 75th percentile too.

Jenna and I always love to inundate our poor doctor (big ups to Dr. Kapoor!) with tons and tons of questions. We come prepared to the appointments with a check list in hand. The doc is always so nice and takes time to talk through everything with us. Fun Fact of the Day: The Earth shaking gas that Teddy has will not go away, but will begin to bother him less and less over the next month or so (again, FTW!).

That's such great news. This kid is like poorly designed Howitzer. Each night when I'm feeding him, controlled air bursts try to lift him out of my lap. It's honestly all that I can do to keep him from taking flight and soaring out of our living room.

Sad, yet Handsome, Teddy

Now that our little man is two months old, we are going to begin putting him on a schedule. No longer will he enjoy the carefree days of eating on his own clock. We'll begin a set meal time with him that begins each morning before he's taken to my Mom's house. Much like the military, reveille will be before dawn and meals will be prompt. I've been told that this structure may help the little guy begin sleeping longer through the night. Thank goodness. I'd kill for that.

Happy, still Handsome, Teddy