The Night You Were Born

In an incredible effort to give Titus a bedtime routine that does not include the effort of giving him a bath every night. Kudos to those parents but I don't want to do it. I have come up with the same bedtime story for his routine every night.

We read...

I now know this story by heart and it goes a little something like so...

On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered "life will never same" for there had never been anyone like you ever in the world.

So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name. It sailed through the farmland high on the breeze, over the ocean and through the trees, until everyone heard and everyone knew of the one and only ever you.

Not once had there been such eyes, such nose and such, silly, wiggly, wonderful toes.

When the polor bears heard, they danced until dawn. From far away places the geese flew home. The moon stay up until morning next day. The ladybugs landed and decided to stay.

So whenever you doubt just how special you are and you wonder who loves you how much and how far. Just listen to geese honking high in the sky, they're singing a song to remember you by. And notice the bears asleep at the zoo, it's because they've been dancing all night for you. Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind, listen closely it's whispering your name again.

If the moon stays up until morning one day. Or a lady bug lands and decides to stay. Or a little bird sits at your window awhile. It's because they're all hoping to see you smile.

For never before in story or rhyme. Not even once upon time. Has the world ever know a you, my son. And it never will, not ever again.

Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn, on the wonderful, marvelous morning you were born.

Most of the time this works, our wonderful little man goes to bed around 8pm every evening. Every once in awhile the story and the prayer time that follows is not enough and after a few minutes of cries I go back in and sing one of two songs.

Raindrops on Roses or My Jesus My Savior

Why just those two songs? Well, my Mom sang Raindrops on Roses to me.... and well My Jesus My Savior - it was the only worship song I could come up with to sing so many times when I desperately needed to worship while attempting to soothe a newborn. We would sing it over and over again. And change all the I's to We's.

Titus & His Buddy Seth

Look how big I am getting!

My first time in my swing, look at how little I am. It's May 29th and I am 18 days old.


















Look at me now! Mom took this on July 24th. I am 74 days old.
I almost fill up the whole swing! But it's still my favorite place to nap!

Titus Take on Tummy Time

Mom places me on my tummy, supports my shoulders with the boppy pillow, places the incredibly fun tummy time mirror in front of me so I may someday discover the "baby in the mirror". I then choose to lie face flat into boppy pillow where I gnaw on it and create a huge wet spot until I have managed to work up enough angst that I propell myself forward, knocking over the tummy time mirror and ending up with my face almost on the carpet. The entire time I have managed to basically choose to not lift my head in any direction, forcing Mom to choose NO on the form at the doctor's office when it asked "Does child lift head 90 degrees when lying on his tummy?"


I believe he can, but that he refuses to. He is after all bound to be as obstinate as his father and mother are, right?

Two Month Well Check

Titus had his two month well check yesterday. I had pretty much been dying to know how much our little guy wieghed and how long he was. A few weeks ago at church, something changed. People stopped saying "Oh, he's sooooooo little." And they had been saying it since he was carried through the doors at 6 days old. This blessed kid hasn't missed church yet.

Extreme empahsis on the so. I would almost get offended and calmly remind the person that most children were born between 6-8lbs and mine was 7lbs, making him completely average.

But when they stopped talking about how little he was, they started talking about how "he was soooooo big and sooooooooo long". This always left me thinking "Will our little man ever just be normal?"

But the long comment had me intrigued. Was my little guy really that long?

I'd picked up one of those snake/worm toys that has a 24 inch ruler on the underside of it at a garage sale brought it home, and my dear sweet child was an inch or two longer than the snake.

I did learn- the fun kids toy snake is not a good measuring tool.

The verdict:
At 11 weeks old
Titus

weighs: 11 lbs. 13 ozs. (25th-50th percentile)
height: 24.5 inches long (75th - 90th percentile)

Dr. Yost said. "Yep, he's a skinny, tall white boy"

All in all we didn't have much concerns to talk to the doctor about. He's a good kid. No wierdness to report. I suppose he's just pretty average. I am convinced that is exactly what God knew we could handle.

Doc even said "He's perfect."

So we can't really complain much.

He also got his first round of immunizations. Oh boy, was that an annoying decision.
So I gave up and just pretty much said give him all of them.

The only one I was really chewing on was hep B. But I signed him up for all of them.

However, the nurse only poked him twice - because apparently there is a state wide outage of hep B shots.

When Titus had his circumcision done, the doctor brought him out to us and we asked how our little two week old had done and the doc said he had a high pain tolernace. The doctor said he just knew certain cries and Titus had a high pain tolerance.

I think I saw it in action during the shots. Brion was down in his face "sssshhhing" and comforting him and he wailed and showed his little tomato face during the shots, but he as soon as Brion picked him up he stopped crying and didn't really cry again for the rest of the day. No fever from the shots, no extra fussiness, just lots of naps. He's a good kid.

To view pics of Titus - http://picasaweb.google.com/BrionandRachel

Day 1 With Out Husband

When I was pregnant and hormonally crazy I wondered A LOT about how 16 year olds managed being pregnant, I know how they managed to get pregnant, but how did they manage being pregnant.

While pregnant, I was not my usual self. And in the last trimester I most certainly was not my usual self.

I relied on Brion so much while pregnant. Mostly because I could. But I am not convinced that I could have done it by myself.

He was the one I shared everything gross about being pregnant with, the one that would let me cry on his shoulders, the one to go get me some crazy food craving in the middle of the night, well late evening. He was everything a husband should be.

Then, we had a baby. WE. And then I REALLY wondered how the teenagers of this world handle being a single mom. For the first few weeks I was not convinced I could handle it even with an incredibly supportive husband.

Now, with him gone. Even if it is just a mere 15 hours so far, I get a small glimpse of the immense things that he does for Titus and I.

Even just as small BUT HUGE as emptying the Diaper Genie (which I had actually never done). I'm pretty sure that I managed to do it correctly.

And then there is taking the garbage out. This is no small feat. While cleaning today, I managed to rack up 3 bags of garbage. OH, and I still didn't emptying the bathroom garbage. When I have to actually empty the can myself, which is few and far between I set the bags in a bin right outside our front door, my wonderful husband then walks them across the parking lot into the dumpster.

Now, when I left the house today, and walked past the garbage bags I thought I should take those to the dumpster. However, child AND carseat, purse and diaper bag and bag of things to return to Wal-Mart, I thought how am I suppose to do that. So I didn't.

Then I came home, looked again at the bags of garbage and with child in hand screaming "feed me, feed me, feed me" I again passed them by.

I fed said child, put him to bed, read him his good night story, prayed, turned on the montitor and walked out the door.

I then happened to glance out our sliding glass door to see this....

So I watched and listened to the raccoons for awhile. In awe of such nature right outside my sliding glass door. I knew I was a safe distance from them and they weren't scared of me or my flashing camera.

And then - I remembered the garbage. It would only take 3 baby raccoons and a mama raccoon so long to sniff out what something in one of those three bags of garbage.

So, I did the unthinkable. I locked the front door, grabbed the garbage walked across the parking lot and threw it away. And when I got back Titus was still in his basinet and still squirming.

I miss you, husband.

Merry-Go-Round

From the bouncer to my arms from my arms to the bassinet from the bassinet to my arms to the floor back to the bouncer back to the swing back to the bassinet back to my arms back to the swing - this is the merry-go-round we are living today.

In between it all I try desperately to get my house ready for company on Wednesday.

Brion is at camp for two weeks. He left early this morning.

I already dread the night. I almost look forward to Titus' middle of the night feedings because Brion and I wake up together - I get the baby he gets the bottle. We watch a little something and speak noise to each other not words because apparently we can not open our mouth all the way to enunciate in the middle of the night. And after Mr. Titus is fed I put him back in his crib and we fall back asleep together.

I know I can handle the middle of the night feedings myself BUT they will just be so boring. And right now, knowing I am not anticipating anyone coming home today... It's just a little sad.

And of course Titus is a little extra fussy today. Hence, our merry-go-round of bouncer, swing, bassinet, arms, floor. Right now he's currently sleeping in his swing, seems to be the only place he will nap today. And I don't want to fight him. He falls asleep so good in his bassinet at night, doesn't particulary like to do it during the day but I can't complain too much.

Back to the cleaning...

Rules of the Titus @ 8 weeks

1. Please don't cover my feet with a blanket. I do not like this and will kick it off.

2. Bouncers are good ONLY if they vibrate.

3. I enjoy sleeping sideways in my bassinet, even if I do look all squished up.

4. I will sleep when I want to sleep. Go ahead try to wake me up when I want to be sleeping.

5. Someday, Mom, you will stop squeezing newborn onesies over my big nogin, in the mean time every time you do I will scream.

6. It is not my fault Mom fails more often than Dad at putting the diaper on correctly AND making sure everything is pointing in the right direction.

7. Go ahead, put me in a nice outfit, take me in public and don't put a bib on me - I will spit up. ALOT.

8. When I am chewing on my entire hand - it most likely means I am hungry. Seriously, I am trying to eat my whole hand - feed me. Or I will scream.

9. I like it when Dad "sssssshhhhhhhhhhhh's" me. It calms me down almost immediately. Mom, you are okay at it, but Dad is the master.

10. The carseat. Oh, the carseat. It is great, sometimes, and only when it's moving. Please don't leave me in it for longer than a millisecond with out it moving or I will scream again.

11. I love snugling up in Dad and Mom's arms or on thier chest to fall asleep, but you keep putting me in my bassinet before I fall asleep. Not fair.

12. I refuse to coo or ooo, or make sweet little baby noises. I am a man, Mom, and I will only grunt and squawk. Be happy with the smiles you get.