the bat box: November notes

Hello everyone! Here are our notes from November. These are either posts I started but never had a chance to finish or bits from my journal I intended to post to the blog but never got around to starting. Some have current updates added.

So, grab a comfy seat and a bag of popcorn or something, and read on...

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A visit from Beth and Ethan!
11/5/06

Luc met Ethan yesterday! It was great to see them together. We can't wait to see them grow up together and become friends. It's amazing to see how different they are at this age, being a year apart. That gap will surely lessen as they get older.

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Success!
Original post date 11/15/06.

Last week Daddy gave Luc his first bottle (more on how the milk got into that bottle in a moment), but it didn't go very well. He played with it a little, gumming the nipple until he had a mouthful of milk, then letting the mouthful dribble down his chin. Most of the bottles Sonepheth has attempted since went the same way, with a lot of fussing and just a little bit of swallowing. And then tonight... success! He was hungry and fussed a little, but eventually started sucking like a pro and drank all of the 1 1/4 ounces of milk in the bottle in just a few minutes!! We were soooo happy!

So, about the milk... I bought a breast pump last week and started pumping (obviously), just for practice. At first I was only able to get half an ounce at a time, but slowly the yield has increased. It's more difficult than one might think to produce milk for a small whirring whooshing plastic machine instead of your baby! It's very odd. Even so, with a quiet space, slow calm breathing, thoughts of flowing streams, pictures of Luc and my MotherWear catalog nearby, and a lot of practice, I'm now able to get about four ounces at a time.

And now bottle feeding is going really well! He has taken milk from a bottle a bunch of times from Sonepheth with only a little protest (even though I try to hide in another room, I think he can tell I'm nearby), a couple of times from my mom with no problem at all, and last weekend from Great-Grandma Wheet and my Aunt Krissy.
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94 years of beauty
Original post date 11/16/06.

Week before last we posted a picture of Luc visiting his Great-Grandmother Warner. It was taken on Tuesday October 31st. That day she was very weak and barely able to speak, and we knew it would probably be the last time we got to see her. Still, while we were there she was able to reach out and hold Luc's hand, and even managed to thank us for coming. It was a really special moment. One week later she passed away peacefully in her home. She was 94 years old, always gracious, so sweet, so beautiful, and we miss her so much.

I didn't join the Warner family (pictured above) until my mom married my step father, Paul, when I was 5 years old. Even so, I always felt very much a part of the family. I was her 12th grandchild and Luc was her 15th Great grandchild. After her service on Monday, the family gathered and each of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were given a gift, something special from her large collection of Japanese art and artifacts brought home from her years spent in Japan. I chose a beautiful fabric collage which depicts a group of Japanese children dancing. It struck me as soon as I saw it. It will hang on the wall in our living room for now as a treasured piece of art and a meaningful way to remember my Grandmommy. Later it will be a special way to tell Luc about his great-grandmother.

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So big
11/17/06

Luc is growing up so fast! He is so interactive now, smiling a ton and actually starting to giggle! His laugh is like a little squeak! He smiles and laughs in response to us talking to him, making funny noises, Daddy kissing his toes, almost anything!

Yesterday he sat in his Bumbo seat for the first time and had a blast! We also tried out the stand up activity center just for fun. It's way too big for him though, and his little legs just dangle from the seat. He is big enough now to sit up in the stroller and to be carried front facing in the sling for longer periods of time (which he absolutely loves). He loves to stand up, and can do so with us holding only his hands. It's really amazing how strong his little legs are! He's getting really good at controlling his head and neck, so tummy time is starting to be way more fun for him.

Baby guinea pig
11/17/06
Today we participated in the Infant Studies Program at UMCP for the linguistics department. Luc watched a short video of a girl mouthing two sounds('we' and 'e') repeatedly. They videotaped his response and will study it in some way to learn more about how infants recognize voices. We got to take home a book as a gift. It was a really neat experience, and I hope they call us again.

While we were on campus, we visited Shuttle UM and introduced Luc to a few of our friends there. Of course we had to get some pictures of him on a bus...

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Back to work...
11/20/06

I went into the office for a few hours today, Luc took a bottle from Granny and was a very good boy. Oh yeah... I think she enjoyed herself too!

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Ouch.
11/22/06

Luc had his four month appointment yesterday and received four shots! Four big ones, two in each thigh. We gave him Tylenol for the first time, and he slept pretty much all day, though when he wasn't sleeping he was crying, poor little guy. I felt so sorry for him. Otherwise, the appointment went well. He is a very healthy baby. He weighed 13 pounds and 3 ounces and was 23 1/2 inches long. I can't believe how much he's grown!

We also drove down to Sarah's house to help with some last minute things for her wedding. Foxy and Punkin didn't know what to make of him!

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So many blessings
11/23/06

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for this year.

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Love is in the air!
11/26/06

Yesterday Sarah and Tim were married at St. Mary's church in Annapolis, MD. It was a perfect beautiful day, mild and sunny. Everything about the ceremony and reception was so personal and detailed, down to the handcrafted centerpieces, each representing a place they've visited together (we sat at Harper's Ferry, WV). She looked absolutely gorgeous! They had an amazng live band and great food. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time!