Routines are bad

Just a few short weeks ago, I posted that routines and repetition were a good thing. This post isn't exactly a retraction, but rather a discussion of the flip side of routines/repetition. Specifically, as I mentioned last week, Micah has been having some issues going to bed when it isn't Mommy and Daddy putting him to sleep.

I thought, perhaps, Micah's issue was limited to the circumstance last week . . . Heather and Brad were relatively new, and I thought that perhaps they missed his sleepy cues and gave him his medicine late. On Thursday, however, we went out for our "date night." My mom has babysat Micah tons of times, and been with us to put him to bed and even done it alone without incident. Because of his recent outbursts, I was a bit concerned there would be an issue. My dad came early and spent about one hour with Micah before we left. I thought easing out the door would keep him calm and relaxed. My mom showed up about 1/2 hour after we left, and the two of them proceeded to put Micah to bed. My mom noticed Micah started to get sleepy and rub his eyes, so she took him and went up the stairs.

Apparently, as they hit the third step, Micah started to get upset. Everytime she came back down the stairs, he was fine, but that third step kept setting him off! They got him upstairs, gave him his medicine, got him ready for bed . . . mostly while he cried and fussed. My mom sang You are my Sunshine to him, but that did not seem to comfort him. Ultimately, Micah calmed down when my DAD started to sing to him. He was quite clear . . . his Goppy needed to sing, and his Grammy needed to hold him. He was quiet as long as Goppy sang You are my Sunshine over and over and over again. He finally fell asleep in Grammy's arms and she quietly moved him into the crib.

It seems we have a new problem. Micah is great at bedtime, as long as Mommy and Daddy are there. Our normal "routine" is that Daddy takes Micah upstairs, puts him in his pajamas, gives him his medicine and reads him a book, and mommy comes upstairs to nurse him and sing to him. It has been two weeks since Elliot put Micah to bed alone, so we are going to test that out this week and see if Daddy has an issue when he is alone, too. My mom is planning to start coming by a bit more often to put him to bed, and I think at least 1 night every week Elliot should put Micah to bed alone. Hopefully, as we have more people putting him to bed, it will get easier for him. Ironically, I thought the change of locations on our trip to Philly this week would set him off, but he had no issues going to bed and staying asleep even in a new place. I guess as long as Mommy puts him to bed, all is right with the world. I sure hope we can nip this in the bud!

Those were the days, my friends . . . .

This weekend, we went to Elliot's 20th college reunion at Penn. It is amazing how reunions everywhere are all the same. There is a lot of superficial chatting and catching up, a lot of checking out everyone to assess who got old, who got fat, who looks good, who is married, who is divorced, who has children, who has a good job, and the obligatory self-comparison . . . the "am I younger looking, do I have a better job, am I better off than . . . " line of thought. It is also amazing how the same old cliques seem to resurface, and the same old insecurities can rise to the surface.

On a side note, Elliot is one of those guys that does not seem to have close friends. He has TONS of acquaintances, but no close circle of male friends with whom he regularly socializes. I bring this up to put him in context for his reunion. He went to this reunion not knowing who would be there, and without any plans to meet up with an inner circle of friends. As such, we were sort of "lone wolves" at the reunion. We did not have a select group of friends with whom we attended all the activities, and it was really hard to figure out the people I should try and talk to and befriend. Let's be honest . . . no one at the reunion was there to learn about me! If Elliot had a group of close friends, they might want to get to know me because they would be interested in learning about Elliot's life. But most of the people there learned I did not attend and just simply moved on instead of talking to me. (To be honest, I think some of the women looked at me and thought - "she looks much younger than the rest of us, and I just want to get away so she does not make me look too old"). I think reunions are more fun when you are the one who attended the school!

We did have a good time - Elliot got to see lots of faces from his past, revisit the campus where he spent a chunk of his life, and reconnect with his past. It was fun to see him in his element and hear some of his college stories. There was even a slightly embarassing clip of him in the class video from his college days that I have on DVD and intend to show to Micah one day down the road.

Even better for me . . . we stayed with my friend Tammy who is a thoracic surgeon at HUP. She had to work most of the weekend, but she was kind enough to offer us a place to sleep and to stay in on Friday night so we could leave Micah with her while we attended reunion activities. Elliot, Micah and I went to the class parade and picnic together on Saturday. When we returned, we headed out with Tammy for some delicious gelatto (I think the best gelatto I've had in the US to date!). Tammy, Micah and I stayed in on Saturday night while Elliot went to a party at a local bar. To be fair, Tammy and I had kind of exciting plans. We ordered Indian food, then rented Frost/Nixon. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, put Micah to sleep, and then 5 minutes into the movie . . . we were both passed out and asleep. That is right, ladies and gentleman, we didn't even talk and catch up. Elliot got home around 11:30. I woke up and pumped . . . and went back to sleep around 1. It was a wild and crazy night.

***At Tammy's request (see comments below), I am clarifying that she had to get up very early Saturday and Sunday (and well, frankly, everyday!). She had to be at work at 6. I had the Micah Man waking me up early, so between the two of us, we were just exhausted!

Playing the noses

When my niece Paige was almost 1 year old, we went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. While we were walking to the parking lot, Elliot was holding her, and she reached up and pinched his nose. As she did that, he said "honk." She looked at him, smiled, and pinched his nose again. Once again, he said "honk." She then looked at me, reached over, and pinched my nose. I promptly said "beep." Next thing you know, she is reaching around and pinching each of our noses, and we are each making a different sound. She was laughing, smiling and "playing the noses." She made lovely music that night, and every time we saw her after that for quite some time.

Micah has recently started to grab and pinch noses, and once again, Elliot says honk every time he pinches. He smiles, and does it over and over again, just like he pushes the buttons on his toys to see them light up and play music. Micah also loves to pinch my nose to hear it honk, and I will push his nose and say "beep, beep." We are slowly teaching Micah to "play the noses" - just wait, he is going to be a star! Maybe we can take him on Jay Leno's "Stupid Baby Tricks" to reveal his musical nose masterpiece.

5 month photos

So, here they are . . . . (drumroll, please)

5 months

Micah is 5 months old today!! I cannot believe how fast my little man is growing up. In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought I would do a rundown of his "stats."

Micah is approximately 14 lbs. and wearing size 3-6 months. He can briefly hold a sit. He has found his feet (loves to grab them and play with them) and his thumb (he loves to suck it). He smiles and laughs all the time. He gives wonderful hugs, and loves to cuddle. He rolls from tummy to back, but doesn't fully roll from back to tummy. He can push buttons, and flip switches on toys, and he grabs and reaches and plays all the time. He loves to chat - he talks to his mobile every morning when he wakes up! We think he is teething . . . he has a white spot on his bottom gums, and he has been fussing and chewing and gnawing all the time. I think it will probably be a bit longer before an actual tooth cuts through. He can pick up and put in his own pacifier . . . although he is more efficient at taking it out. He has discovered the dog . . . he loves to pet her . . . or should I say grab chunks of fur. He is eating 2 tbs of rice cereal a day, and likes to help feed himself. His hair is LONG - it touches his back. He definitely recognizes me (and his Daddy), and he is starting to assert himself - he knows what he wants and he isn't afraid to try and communicate it.

I love listening to Micah laugh and talk. His laugh is adorable . . . it kind of bubbles up. His face just lights up when he is happy. I love when he smiles and reaches for me, and the joy that goes across his face when I rub noses with him. I love the look on his face when he sees me after a day at daycare. I love that he is happy when he wakes up in the morning. I love napping with him cuddled close to me in the bed. I love watching him study things and figure out how to press buttons and make his toys work. I love watching him twist and move and turn.

The past five months have been amazing, and I am looking forward to watching my little man continue to grow by leaps and bounds over the months and years to come. Today we will go take his 5 month pictures - I'll post them as soon as I can!