"Me Time"

When I read "Iron on reverse" on even the tiniest of baby clothes, I think, "You've got to be kidding me!"  It is laughable to think that any new mom would have time to iron a onesie.  And if she did have time, it's even more of a stretch of the imagination to believe that all of the work put into ironing the tiny sleeves and around the mini snaps would be appreciated by the baby who would probably spit-up (or worse) all over the garment within seconds of having it lovingly put on in the wee hours of the morning.

So although I am not ironing Jackson's clothes, I am devoting every minute of the day to all of his other needs.  (He is sleeping right now in his swing dreaming along to classical music, so obviously some of the minutes of the day, I have a break.)  This brings me to the title for this week:  "Me Time."

As a mom, the only 'me time' that I have is spent completing the basic essentials to be accepted into modern-day society--such as combing my hair and bathing.  One day, I had time to put my hair into a 'neat' ponytail and managed to put on a fresh tee-shirt and I felt like I could face the world once again.  Guilt sets in when I do anything that isn't for Jackson.  Two Fridays ago, I went to a group at a garden centre for moms to 'chat'.  This lasted two hours and all of the babies had to sit on their mothers' knees while the women all compared their babies' weights, lengths, and sleeping patterns.  The guilt hit hard as we were leaving and I realised that Jackson probably didn't get anything out of that experience and I was selfish for going.

After that day, I made sure that every minute is 'all about Jackson' and giving him as many new adventures with the world around him as he can take in without being too overwhelmed.  Usually our day consists of singing, dancing, reading, time in the Fisher Price play gym and jumperoo, looking at the mobile, talking back and forth, and then of course the diaper changes and clothing adjustments that occur throughout the day.  While Jackson is napping, I try to get at least one thing done that benefits the family as a whole such as laundry or cleaning.  Other than studying to take my driving test, I try not to do anything that would fit into the 'me time' category.

I am so proud to be Jackson's mom and I brag about him at every opportunity I get with anyone I meet.  I am also proud to give him the best of everything I have.  I am very content to put aside my needs to see Jackson learning and growing every day and being the happiest little baby boy anyone could hope for.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Mommy and Me

Jackson and I went to our first playgroups on Monday and Tuesday this week.  If you've ever seen the Diane Keaton classic Baby Boom, then you'll know the scene where she takes her little Elizabeth to the over-achieving "Mommy and Me" group in New York City.  We weren't asked to hang our babies from a trapeze swing to show their upper-body strength like the film, however, there were times that I felt out of the loop.

Upon entering the children's centre, I had to fill-out a registration form for not only myself, but also for Jackson.  I figured having a baby in my arms would be my pass into the playgroup.  Apparently, each children's centre in the UK gets funding depending on the number of people who regularly participate, hence the need for a formal registration.

After this, we were pressure-sold into buying tickets to the Christmas party coming up on December 14th since "there are a limited number of tickets and they're going fast."  The tickets are only required for the adults attending and cost £2 each.  This cost helps pay for "tea, a mincemeat pie, and a present for the children from Father Christmas."  I don't drink tea, and no offence, England, but I don't get the appeal of the mincemeat pies, so we'll just meet Santa and collect Jackson's gift, thank you.  Also, I figured £2 was a steal to meet Santa since my friend said that in her town, the going-rate was £15 to meet Santa and that includes standing in line!

Then, we got to go into the room where there were about 20 other moms--and one dad--participating in Monday's "Little Treasures" group.  The floor was covered in quilts and scattered around were baskets full of 'little treasures' for the children to explore different textures.  I was pleased to see so many people and managed to meet a couple of really nice moms.

In the last half-hour of the session, we were asked to move around the edge of the room and face the centre of the room to sing songs and listen to a story.  By this time, I had sat in a cross-legged position so long that my legs had fallen asleep (I had 'pins and needles' for my UK readers).  So I had to scoot to the edge, holding Jackson, and dragging my legs limply behind me without trying to pull all of the quilts along for the ride.

The only time I felt a bit out of the loop was during the songs because in my overzealous singing, I clapped at the wrong times and sang some of the wrong lyrics a little too loudly.  Also, every song has actions and when all of the other babies were zooming to outer space or riding on a wagon, we were noticeably a few beats behind.  Anyway, I didn't want to bounce Jackson too vigorously incase he couldn't hold down the two feedings he had during the playgroup.  All in all, Jackson did very well and behaved wonderfully, charming the group with his smiles and alertness.

Tuesday, I tried going to "Rhyme Time" with Jackson which was a shorter playgroup, only supposed to last a half-hour.  We began the group very well since Jackson does love to hear singing, but after the first song, he was hungry again.  And in usual Jackson fashion, he started screaming like he had never eaten before.  This group only had six other moms and babies, so I decided to remove myself to feed Jackson.  At this playgroup, which was held in a church, the nearest hideout was a restroom in which I couldn't locate the light switch so we sat on a broken toilet seat in the dark for 25 minutes.

As the group was finishing "Jingle Bells," we re-entered Rhyme Time, but apparently that was the last song.  The leader kindly added two extra songs for us, but I could tell the group was dwindling as only one person joined me in the actions for the songs.  We'll try again next week and see if we can make it through the whole half-hour.

Updates on Jackson's developments:  He seems to interact with his toys independently now in his play gym--he doesn't need any prompting.  Jackson smiles and laughs at the changing coloured lights in his gym, as well.  He can hold his head up now so he is making use of the Fisher Price jumperoo and manages to bounce up and down even though his feet don't touch the ground, yet; he uses the momentum of his arms and head to make the toy bounce up and down.  Jackson started purposefully kicking dangling toys and closing his hands around objects, hanging on for short periods of time.  He likes to watch Lee and I doing jobs around the house and to feel like he is a part of the activity.  Lastly, he has started interrupting while we are talking and he's making many new sounds, trying to develop his speech.  And of course, he gets cuter each day.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

First Doctor's Appointment

Jackson is now six-and-a-half weeks old and he weighs 11 pounds 14 ounces and is 58.5 cm long (23 inches).  The health visitor determined that Jackson is in the 75th percentile for weight and the 91st percentile for height.  His head size also went up to 39.1 cm which she said was on track.

Last week, we heard his first laughs!  Jackson laughed three times in the span of about fifteen minutes while looking at his favourite toy and listening to Lee and I make funny noises.  Also, he has developed a bit of a routine and eats and naps at relatively the same times during the day.

We took Jackson to Cheshire Oaks (an outlet mall) to look for some baby outfits and to get out in the fresh air on Saturday.  He's grown sizeably in the past week and needed more clothes in the 0-3 month range that were on the longer size (since it seems every brand makes their 0-3 month clothes variably different).  The mall is beautifully decorated for Christmas now so we took some photos by the Christmas tree and Jackson loved staring at the twinkling lights.

After the mall, we travelled to see Lee's grandpa in Buckeley, Cheshire so Jackson could meet his Great-Grandpa McRae for the first time.  He was very well-behaved all day, sleeping soundly in the car and entertaining happily when it was time to visit.

That night, he discovered his fist and thumb could be used for sucking, and has started that habit when he sees fit, but it is a very seldom occasion so far.

Yesterday was the first time we met our doctor for a check-up.  (That's right:  I've been registered at the same doctor's office for three years and up until now, I've only spoken to nurses or midwives.)  The appointment was scheduled from 9:40 until 10:20 and I was under the impression that Jackson would be receiving his first round of shots (jabs, in the UK) at this meeting which had me particularly distraught.  When he woke up, I fed him, changed him, and dressed him.  Luckily, he went back to sleep which allowed me enough time to get myself ready, pack the diaper bag, and set-up the stroller.  We made it out of the house by 8:40 to get the bus and having just missed the 8:47 bus, we had to wait until 9:10 until we saw another one.  (There went twenty minutes of a peacefully sleeping Jackson!)

After we checked-in at the doctor's reception and sat down, it was 9:25 and Jackson was still sound asleep.  The doctor actually met us promptly at 9:40 which I was happy about; however, Jackson was just starting to wake-up again and I knew that he would be hungry.  He really only cries desperately when he's hungry and can come out of a deep sleep with screams of starvation as if he's never eaten before, so I knew this was going to have to be a quick meeting before disaster would strike.

Of course, the crying began right when we sat down and I told the doctor that he was hungry, but he asked a succession of questions such as, "Does he cry often?"  "He sounds hoarse; do you leave him to cry for long periods of time?"  "He's a squaller."  "What a loud cry."  All of these statements made me feel incredibly at ease...not really.  I felt like I had to defend myself as a parent when I knew there was nothing wrong and Jackson has never cried for more than two minutes in his life.  When he was born, the nurses commented on his "three-month-old cry" so he just has strong vocal chords, I guess.  While he was crying, Jackson had to have his head measured, body examined, and heart and eyes checked-out.  The doctor also has a very quiet speaking voice, so I had to have him repeat his sentences two or three times each because I couldn't hear anything over Jackson's howls of hunger.

While undressing Jackson for his check-up, I figured he would have a full diaper and he didn't disappoint.  The doctor asked if I had a plastic bag.  This particular practice makes parents put their stroller in a "Pram Park" outside because there is not a lot of room to manoeuvre strollers inside since the office is in an old house.  So, I had to run outside to get a plastic bag and then after it was bagged, the doctor said, "There's a nice present for you to take home."  I thought, "Seriously?  I have to take this thing home on the bus?  That isn't happening."

The forty-minute appointment only lasted fifteen minutes and Jackson's shots are now scheduled for December 14th since apparently, they were never planned for yesterday anyway, I just assumed that was part of the first check-up.

Jackson happily ate in the waiting room before we ventured out and I tossed that 'present' into the nearest trashcan on our way to the bus stop.  We ended our outing with a trip to Formby to buy a few more baby outfits and Jackson took a two-and-a-half hour nap which began when we stepped out of the doctor's office door.  That's my boy!

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.