Thanks a lot Grandpa Jones!

The following are some excerpts of a few emails exchanged between my parents and I last week. I was writing to update them about Autumn's two month appointment...

From me on December 22nd, 9:31am
Hi guys,
...I don't think I told mom that the pediatrician said she has some eczema on the side of her face. She seems to think that's something she'll battle for a while (if not forever), and asked if anyone in our families has it. I'm not really worried -- it's a tiny little spot and it seemed to me just like some slight irritation from rubbing her face, but whatever...

From my mom, 9:38am (note: I was not seeking a response to the eczema comment, as I figured I would have known if anyone in my immediate family was blessed with it).
Hey,
It's in your Father's genes, but he says he doesn't have it bad, I never knew it but he says it's on his butt.


And my dad's response, 9:58am
So you have to take the good with the bad.  Yes, I've had a lifelong case of mild eczema on my butt.  So the bad part is that my little granddaughter may have my butt disease on her face.  I do agree that it's probably no big deal, but that's easy for me to say since no one gazes at my butt--obviously Mom doesn't.  The good news is is that my genes obviously contributed to her being advanced. So you're welcome. 

There you go, Autumn. You've got Grandpa Jones to thank for the butt disease on your face. I still think you're really cute though.

How to calm an Autumn

Welp, that didn't last long. Autumn's post-shot sleepiness wore off at exactly 9pm last night, which happens to be her bedtime -- not to mention one of Brian and I's favorite times of the day. Just like a switch went off in her tiny brain, she was right back to her squirmy, curious, noisy and active little self. Nothing was gonna get in the way of this girl and her nighttime hyperactivity. Nothing, that is, until as a last resort, Brian put her tummy-down in the Boppy, facing the TV and Christmas tree. Magic! Peace, love and a silent night ensued at the Boyd's. For thirty glorious minutes.


This morning, same story. Sorry Autumn, but 6:30am just doesn't cut it for a wake up call anymore. We know you can do better than that. But since nothing would calm the wild beast this morning, I finally dragged myself out of bed to see if changing her diaper would do the trick. At this point my hopes for another bit of sleep had already been shattered, so I was happy to let her smile at me, squirm and holler on the changing table for a few minutes...which turned into ten minutes and seemed as if it could go on forever. So onto her belly she went, and bam! Our sweet, angelic and calm baby instantly returned. Here's hoping this trick doesn't wear off as quickly as those shots did!

p.s. Yes, our Christmas tree lights do stop about 3/4 of the way up the tree. Doesn't everyone forget that if you remove one light the whole strand goes out from time to time?

Two month stats

Recouping from those terrible shots!

I warn you, this post will not be interesting, funny or anything of the sort. I just need to include it for our own memory's sake. Autumn's two-month check-up was today since we were in California when she actually hit the two month mark. So, at 10 weeks old, she weighed in at 11 pounds 10 ounces (35th percentile) and was 23 3/4 inches long (70-80th percentile). We had noticed she seemed to be getting extremely long without really filling out her clothes as much as expected. Her weight percentile has dropped a little at each of her last few visits, so we're hoping that starts to level off and creep up eventually. Unfortunately my hunch is that it won't happen until we start supplementing with formula, or even switching completely.

Back to Autumn's appointment. She got three shots today and was diagnosed with eczema (really?). As we speak she is sleeping on my lap, which she has been doing some variation of for most of the day. Not sure if she's bummed about her complexion or in pain from the shots. Poor girl. The pediatrician also said she noticed Autumn was holding her hands together at midline (which I think is something she does most of the time now). Big deal right? I certainly had never noticed or cared what she had been doing with her hands, but supposedly this is quite an advanced "skill" for her age. Alright then. I guess it makes up for the fact that she has not rolled over once since we've been back from California. Not even close. Thanks for the false alarm little one.

Well, that should do for this Monday night update. Back to watching my fantasy football hopes and dreams die a slow, freezing cold death as my kicker becomes an icicle in some outdoor stadium in Minnesota.

Two months and one California adventure

Please pardon the delay for Autumn's two month update -- I'm reporting live from Shaver Lake, California, where we've been quite busy over the past few days. And by busy I mean lazy. Almost sloth-like, actually. In fact, yesterday's highlights included changing Autumn into a few different outfits for various photoshoots, happy hour  in the hot tub, a fabulous dinner prepared by my dad (followed fondly by a communal episode of meat sweats), and a viewing session of some classic Jones Family home videos (which could be a whole blog entry in itself - we won't go there now).

Brian, Autumn and I embarked on our first real trip as a family last Saturday. Everything went surprisingly smoothly. So much so that I actually obtained zero quality blog material from the trip. Well, unless you count the blind guy who's guide dog barfed a pile of grass on the floor of the gate area. Being blind, he obviously couldn't see it, and didn't realize was there for the hour he sat behind us. 

Four Generations

Once in Fresno we immediately headed to In-N-Out, where we indulged in our first meal of the week that resulted in meat sweats (gross huh?), and then on to visit my 94-year-old grandmother, who is recovering from a fractured pelvis in a rehab center. The pictures pretty much say it all, but in case you aren't that quick, she was beside herself with happiness. I can actually say that I have never seen my grandmother so happy and content. Our discomfort (from the Animal Style cheeseburgers that were wreaking havoc on our systems) was quickly forgotten as we all enjoyed Nana's moments with Autumn.

The following day, since my parents no longer have a house in Fresno, my mom's dear friend Karen hosted an open house so that we could visit with family and friends, and they could meet Autumn. It was a very busy afternoon, but such a fun opportunity to see everyone -- something that has become very hard to do when there's no longer a "home" in your hometown. We also, finally, had a chance to meet my grandmother's renowned friend Lloyd. Lloyd is 85, and he drives (God help us) over to my grandmother's every Sunday. They drink a bottle of wine and play Rumikub. According to Nana, Lloyd "has been married for about 25 years. His wife is fat, but she knows about me." There you have it ladies -- you can still be the "other woman" at 94. In all seriousness though, Lloyd has been wonderful company and great friend to my Nana over the past few years...and he wore a jacket with a map of the world to the party on Sunday. It doesn't get any better than that.

Gotta love Lloyd

Riley and Whitney

Autumn and "Auntie Karen" -- wonderful host and another of Autumn's personal shoppers

Us with both Ivanas. Friends for 23 or so years, and The Littles got to meet at two and eight months

But enough about us. Autumn turned two months on Sunday, the day of the open house. She has been quite busy being a baby since the one-month update. While things like eating, sleeping, and blowing through diapers (literally) still occupy most of her time, she has also made some legitimate gains. My favorite still has to be the smiles. She started smiling around six weeks, right on time as the books say. And since then she has become increasingly interactive. The smiles now are accompanied by lots of vocal expressions, like coos and happy yells). Her latest obsession is her play mat, which is basically just a mat that she lays on with a mobile and other toys that hang in her face. It doesn't change, ever, but every time she lays on it you'd think she was visitng Disneyland for the first time. If only Brian could be that easily amused.

Autumn also officially outgrew all over her newborn clothes, and is almost too long for her 0-3 month ones. Thankfully, I'm still able to squeeze her into the Michael Jackson pants that Brian loves so much. I am also very happy to report that she is starting to get the sleeping thing down. While we still don't have a set bedtime, it seems like we usually put her down between 7 and 9pm, and I can count on her to sleep until 2-4am. Up for the day between 6:30-8. Thank you, Autumn.

Quite possibly the most exciting update in Autumn's world is that she started rolling over, from front to back, the day before her two-month birthday. It was the afternoon that we got into California, and we were all convinced it was a mistake the first time she did it. So, we put her back on her stomach and she off she went. And then again. Then she decided that rolling over sucks, and started crying. Still not convinced that this was real and true new skill, we tried again the next evening. Same deal, except this time she was over it after the first try. I think she's done it once more this week, so I won't say she's totally got it down just yet, but we'll work on it. We're hoping she'll be skiing by February.

Well, the three of us are back to Denver tomorrow. We thought we were supposed to be here until Saturday, but for the second time this year, I booked our flight for the wrong day. At least some things stay the same.




And a final, parting shot...Happy Holidays everyone! Love the Boyds -- and one angry Christmas baby.

Baby Invasion!

Two years ago on this weekend, Brian and I were having lunch at the Stein Erickson lodge in Deer Valley (Park City) with our friends Adam and Dani Raper. It wouldn't be lunch with the Rapers if it didn't start with bloody mary's and "accidentally" end up with more than one or two bottles of chardonnay. This also happened to be the Celebrity SkiFest event, and Heidi and Spencer were sitting at a table about five feet away from us.

Last year on this weekend the great Jenny Cole, a friend of mine since early elementary school, came to visit. The weekend included games (as any well-spent time with Jenny Cole does), riding the cow statues on the 16th street mall, the Tilted Kilt!, and a healthy dose of Dark n' Stormies.

Jenny visits Denver!

Neither of these weekends included any mention of babies.

My point here is that as recent as a year ago, I could count the number of our "friends with kids" on one hand (I think two fingers to be exact). I had a couple of friends who were pregnant, but I'm pretty sure I made excuses for them like, "well they've been together since they were twelve". When we found out I was pregnant in late January (less than two months after Jenny's visit), I was secretly hoping that at least one or two of my other friends would follow suit soon. Little did I know that my friend Holly had beat us to it by a few weeks, and soon to follow would be a true explosion of friend-related pregnancies. Though at least one of them was a bit of a "surprise" to put it nicely, we are so happy for each of these friends, and for ourselves, to have company on this adventure. We're already dreaming of houseboating trips or camping trips with the crew of kids who will be about the same age. Not quite the same as celebrity watching over chardonnay in Park City, or Dark n' Stormy-induced cow riding in downtown Denver, but a different kind of fun to look forward to for sure!

So, just in case you still don't believe how much things have changed since this weekend two (or one) year ago -- the following friends of ours are either pregnant right now or have already had a baby. And these are only the people we actually see at least once a year!

Ivana & Jake had little Ivana last March

 Heather and future boyfriend Sam!

Lisa & Brian had Noah last April
Jen & Ben had Blake on Labor Day
Nikki & Duane had their second, Dax, in early September
Marc & Julene had their second girl, Sydney, in September
Holly & Rob had Abigail September 13th
Jen & Josh are due in early January
Dani & Adam are due with a little boy in late January -- yep, that Dani & Adam!
Heather & Jeremy are due with Sam in early February
Erika & Ben are expecting a little girl dolphin in April
Maggie & Ryan are due with a little mocha girl in April (or May?)
Kelly & Mark are hoping they are expecting a girl in May
Alison & Sam are expecting in May

Not to be Captain Obvious or anything, but man what a difference a year makes!

And...just in case you needed a reminder of how awesome with think Autumn is, a couple recent pics:

I love being naked! Dad hopes it's just a phase.

Thankful for...

1. A baby that adores her dad, and a dad who stays up with her every night to feed her a bottle while I catch an extra hour or two to sleep. 

2. Funny winter baby clothes, and the way Autumn reacts to being dressed in them (arms stiff, slightly concerned look on her face). It makes running errands in the cold, windy, snowy or otherwise adverse Colorado weather slightly more amusing.

3. Our 85-year-old (or so) next-door neighbor Hank, who still thinks my name is Ellen, and who never fails to notify us of all the important neighborhood happenings, such as upcoming street sweeping dates, the branch of his that is now hanging about two feet into our yard, or the robin's nest in the tree on our property. He also gives us a bag of giant pecans every year at Christmas. Oh Hank.

4. Autumn's personal shopper (Grandma Deb), babysitter (Grandpa Doug B and Grandma Deb), photographer (Grandpa Doug J), and seamstress (Nana Gerre). Thankful for Autumn's amazing grandparents who spoil her and us! Notice the difference between the photo above and the remaining pictures. Mine don't do her justice.

5. Beer. It's amazing how much I love beer since having Autumn. While I was pregnant, I couldn't wait to have a big glass of wine rather than the very occasional small glass with dinner that's ok'd during pregnancy.  As it turns out, there's nothing I crave more than beer these days. In case you're worried about how bad that sounds, don't be. The most I've had in one sitting is two so far -- but man I'm salivating just looking at this picture right now. And yes, we typically do have this many varieties in the fridge on any given day.

 6. Fantasy Football miracles. I'm Wally's World, in second place. Look at how many points I have, and how many points the sucker in 8th place has. I'm awesome. Oh, and Brian is in first place, but he actually deserves it.

 7. This guy. And his indifferent acceptance of our newest family member. 

8. This glider chair. Wow, it already looks beat up. As Brian says, "it's like sitting on clouds". Whatever that feels like. I'm pretty sure he wishes he had boobs so he can utilize this chair in the middle of the night too.

9. In-laws who believe that no Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a few dozen Jell-O shots. 

10. A healthy baby who seems to be happy about 95% of the time -- In our arms, in her swing, her bouncy chair, the bathtub, wherever. We definitely don't take that for granted. Also, it's so cliche, I know, but I really am thankful for the rest of my family, and friends. This journey wouldn't be complete without you.

Small Victory

Does it count as "only getting up once in the middle of the night" if it means the day starts at 6:30am (on a Saturday no less)? I'm fully prepared for this statement to instantly jinx the next week or so, but for the past two days Autumn has only woken up at 2am and 6:30am. Yesterday I tried to humor myself by putting her back to bed at 7am, but if you are a loyal follower of this silly blog, then it shouldn't surprise you that putting a gremlin to bed when it's light out doesn't end with more sleep for anyone.  So this morning I gave myself a little pep talk that went something like this.


"Ok, no need to feel sorry for yourself for being up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning. You only had to get up once last night, and geez, you went to bed at like 8:30. Besides, the only reason you used to sleep in on Saturdays was because you actually had a life outside of your house. Remember that? Eating pizza on the couch and drinking (almost) two beers hardly warrants a true need to sleep through the morning news shows."

And with that, after feeding Autumn, I put her in her swing and made some coffee. Thankfully, she has recently fallen head-over-heels in love with her swing. We haven't figured out which part she likes so much -- whether it's the carnival ride effect of the swinging (seriously, that thing gets going!), the cute little lamb mobile that spins above her head, or, more likely, the mirror that she gets to check out her gorgeous reflection in. Really, it doesn't matter much, because whatever it is has been allowing us to put her in her swing without feeling guilty for boring our baby.

Super Swing saves the day!

Now to tackle the day. Watch out world, I'm no longer a "mom who is up all night with a baby". I might even have time to Swiffer the kitchen floor.

I Can't Put My Arms Down!

Winter is almost here! We couldn't resist putting Autumn in this snowsuit the other day, at the very first sight of a few flurries. I think she likes it!

Secretly, we hope she turns out at least half as cool as Ralphie from our favorite holiday movie. Please tell me you remember this:

Autumn's one month letter to mom and dad

Autumn turns one month old today! At her pediatrician appointment this morning we found out that she now weighs 9 pounds 9 ounces and is 22 inches long! That's the 89th percentile for height and 45th for weight. She's definitely growing! Anyway, would you believe that she chose to celebrate by writing us a letter all about her first month of life? Yeah, we didn't really believe it either, but she continues to amaze us every day!

No more Newborn clothes for me!

November 12, 2010
Dear Mom and Dad,
Now that I am one whole month old I feel like it's time for me to share some things with you guys about my first 31 days in your world.
First of all, what a wacky place your world is! On my birthday, I vowed to give this place a fair shot before judging your world too harshly. When I was born I did my best to take a good look around and soak everything in, but man those newborn eyes are worthless! Since my vocal chords were the only things things that seemed to function at the time, I had not choice but to use those more than anything else those first few days. Sorry if it freaked you out. 
Do you guys remember when we first drove home from the hospital and you let me move in to your home? Well I hope you remember the details, because all I really remember is waking up to a hairy monster sniffing my face -- you guys call it Wally. And there was another slightly less hairy monster who had a scary contraption that made clicking sounds and flashed light at me -- you guys call that monster Doug.
I want you guys to know that while I really do love both of you, I really really love staring at dad and listening to his voice. I can be in the deepest sleep of my tiny life, but when dad says something, anything, I can't help but throw my hands up in the air and try with my improving eyesight to spot him. He's a handsome guy mom, you know how to pick 'em!
Something else I love is that place you take me when my diaper is full. You lay me down on this soft little blanket, and I just want to start a dance party. I try to talk to you guys too, can you tell? I'm still not quite sure why I love this changing table of mine so much, but when I figure it out I'll get back to you. Oh, and I've been meaning to apologize to you guys about all of the recent diaper blowouts, but now that I'm almost ten pounds you guys clearly need to buy me bigger diapers. Apology retracted. What I do owe you an apology for, however, are the multiple times that I've gone #1 or #2 either right after you guys take off my diaper, or right after you put another one on. That's slightly embarrassing, but like I said, that changing table really gets me going.

Me (right) and my BFF Abigail (left). She talked me into trying out yoga.

Oh yeah, and I wanted to talk to mom about that Mom and Baby yoga class we went to the other day. What the hell was that? Don't get me wrong, I thought it was pretty cool. I got to lay on my back, make all the noises I wanted, and flail my limbs around for a whole hour! I even let out a few really good toots. The other babies thought that was pretty sweet. But what I really wanted to talk to you about was what a hot mess you were. I mean really, you guys did true yoga for maybe twelve minutes, and I have to say I was a little worried you weren't going to be able to carry me out to the car. Twelve minutes, mom? Let's hope the doctor clears you to start working out again soon. I'm not gonna be nine pounds forever you know.

This is what I wear to work with Dad.

A few other things I've really enjoyed about being a part of your world are the car rides, going to work with dad in his office, looking at things with my almost functional eyes, going for walks with the hairy monster (but can you please tell him not to paw at my head while I'm eating dinner?), bath time, and using my vocal chords on full volume when you guys sit down to eat. I also can't tell you how much I LOVE being a gremlin from 5am until you guys get up these days. And I know you guys love it too because mom has started bringing me into bed with her after about thirty minutes of this. I'll try to keep it up so I don't let her down.

Overall, Mom and Dad, I'd say you guys are doing a pretty good job. I am very happy to inform you that after my  month-long assessment of your world, I've decided I'm gonna stick around. I'll work on not vomiting on my clothes two seconds after you put them on me if you buy me some bigger diapers...and a pony. Deal?

Love,
Autumn









Deal, little one. We love you!

 

 

Being a baby is hard work!

The first weeks of Autumn

The first weeks of autumn, and Autumn's first weeks, have been quite busy around here! So busy, in fact, that she's almost four weeks old now and I'm just now getting around to updating this. But here goes, better late than never...

Our little pumpkin elf

The first week home from the hospital was deceptionally easy. My parents were both here, which meant that we had a full-time support staff that included a cook, housecleaner, photographer, personal shopper and diaper changer. Autumn was in a state of newborn bliss -- and by that I mean that it was bliss for us, not so sure how she felt. She slept at least 21 hours a day, and hadn't yet figured out how much fun it can be to refuse to go back to sleep at 3am. Brian also had that week off of work, and he quickly earned a "best dad ever" badge by getting up for half of the feedings every night. We were on a 1-2 hour feeding schedule with formula for a few days due to her losing weight and getting jaundice.

Coming home from the hospital -- sleeping of course!

I can't remember too much about her second week, except that at her two-week appointment, Autumn's weight went up to 7 pounds 15 ounces! Our hungry hippo had gained 10 ounces in just a few days (she dropped to 7 pounds 2 ounces a few days after birth, and then was up to 7lb 5oz at around a week old). I think she started waking up a little bit more around this time as well, or at least long enough to start making some special faces for us to laugh at.

Nana Gerre

Grandpa Doug J -- Autumn's personal photographer

Grandma & Grandpa Boyd

Uncle El and Lady Friend Sara entertain the baby

When she was three weeks old, Uncle Eliot and Aunt Sara (well, we're hoping she'll be Aunt Sara soon. For now maybe we should call her Lady Friend Sara) came to visit. This visit didn't involve any beverages containing over 10 types of alchol or a night at the biggest beer festival in America, so it differed slightly from their last trip to Denver. Regardless, it was really great to see them, and Autumn can't wait for Uncle El and LF Sara to move to Denver some day!

So now it's been just the four of us for almost a week. The newborn bliss has worn off. If she had it her way, Autumn would be held all day long, and there'd be a baby party in our bedroom starting at 3am every night. For some reason, she hates going back to sleep after being fed at or around 3am. Sometimes she's up until she has to be fed again, around 6am...yuck! But, before anyone starts feeling too bad for me, once Brian gets up in the morning for work he takes her into his office with them while I sleep until 9 or so. Sorry other new moms, not trying to rub it in. I just suggest finding a husband who works from home. It's totally worth it.

Autumn with Aunt Kellie

Wally's not so sure about this

Before I go, here's a quick list of, "What We've Learned About Autumn". I'm sure most of these things apply to many babies, but we only know her:

-- She grunts a lot. Like a gremlin, or sometimes like a dinosaur. In her sleep, while being changed, when she's happily awake. Pretty much all the time.

--When she sneezes, she'll usually let out two or three good ones, then she sucks in her breath like she's going for another one, and instead lets out the cutest little sigh you'll ever hear. We've tried to catch it on video but she evades us every time.
--She has her dad's stomach and rips farts like a frat guy. That will never stop amazing us.
--Almost every time we take her diaper off she pees or poops everywhere.

--Her dad cares more about what she wears than her mom. Hey, I think tapered striped 80's pants are cool, especially when worn with socks that don't match. No?
--She's a strong little thing. Again, we don't have anything to compare her to, but the staff in the hospital and at her pediatrician's office all have commented on her brute strength multiple times.
--She's strong-willed. Sometimes she likes to be swaddled at night, sometimes she hates us for stifling her freedom. On those nights she can bust free of the tightest blanket swaddle, and has even gotten out of this professional straightjacket-type swaddle wrap. One morning I woke up to find her sucking on her hand, which was up through the neckhole of her PJ's. That means she had managed to take her arm out of her long-sleeved PJ's AND out of the tight swaddle wrap, then through the neckhole. Really?
--Despite the fact that she's a TON of work, and she doesn't do much besides eat, poop and sleep, we love her more than we thought we could!

Family Picture -- and dad's favorite 80's pants