« March 2004 | Main | May 2004 »
April 29, 2004
Wedding Number One!
Sorry it has taken so long to post this (especially to my mom who has been patiently encouraging me to post!), this past week has gone by in a blink and has just been full. Let's cut to the chase...Wedding season has officially begun for us. We went to Cinncinnati last weekend for Mike (John's cousin) and Stacy's wedding. And since this is a blog mainly about Gus, it is important to note that this was the first time he has witnessed a marriage.
But he slept through the ceremony. Does that count?
We drove down to Cinncinnati on Friday morning, Granny Janice also in tow. Granny and Gus had a Grand time Gladly Greeting with Great Gasps of Granduer and Games...ok. I'm done with the Gs. What I'm trying to say is Granny and Gus had time in the backseat to play and chat and catch up.
Tulips!
Gus did a really good job for such a long car ride. We actually figured out a way for me to pump and then give Gus a bottle while we were still on the road (all seatbelts fastened, I leave the rest up to the imagination...but don't imagine. Just know it all worked fine.). The inevitable meltdown came about 20 miles before our destination, so we got Gus out of the car, spread out a blanket on a table at an American Dairy Farmer's gas station (huh?) and let him stretch out and play. It was good for all of us.
Gus met Auntie Ali and TÌo (uncle) Emilio for the first time, what a treat!
About an hour before the wedding Grandpa Paul (John's dad) came into town and met Gustav for the first time. This was such a rare opportunity since Paul lives in the United Arab Emirates and time together will be precious. Gus took to his Grandpa immediately, and why wouldn't he? Gus, John and Paul all look related!
The wedding was beautiful, in this huge cathedral. Gus slept...and slept.... and continued sleeping, for about three hours. People were starting to think he only slept.
The admirers...Everyone liked seeing John as a dad. He's a good one.
Gus & Emilio
Rosemary, Jenn (both John's cousins) and Jenn's husband, Ryan
Little Maggie was born the day after Gus! What a happy, alert, talky baby! She's Karen & Emmett's little girl, and her little brother is Eamon.
Gus, Grandpa and his sister, Janet. Gus was loving Grandpa's shoulder the whole weekend.
Gus, it's your parents.
Posted by janna at 11:44 PM | Comments (1)
April 21, 2004
Having a day with Gus
Monday was Patriot's Day for those of you not in the know. It's celebrated in Boston, where my work has an office, so of course we had to celebrate, too...by not going to work. I decided months ago that Gus and I would have a 'day', doing things we don't normally have the time to do. I decided to show Gus my old 'hood, Hyde Park. Hyde Park is where I moved to when I came to Chicago in '98. Hey, almost six years ago? So hard to believe. We went for breakfast with lovely Amy right around the corner from my old apartment and caught up on months of life. We then went down to the lab and met up with some other friends...it has been so long! It doesn't feel like it has been over a year or more since I've seen most people, but it's true. Here are the lab ladies (Amy, Susan, Melissa, Sarah, and Martha was in the background) oohing and ahhing... I've missed you guys. They were all too busy playing with Gus to smile and look at the camera. Gus was talking all the girls up...
Gus and I then went to meet up with Christin, Andy and new baby Theo! Theo was born on his mama's birthday, just five minutes before her own birth time. What are the odds of that statistically? He is the cutest, most expressive litte thing. Holding him was like holding a feather after having Gus in my arms. Theo is just a month old, about half of Gus' current weight. It made me appreciate just how much growing Gus has done. Christin was the first new friend I had made in Chicago when I moved here. We were neighbors and in the same program for grad school, as was Andy...so it was quite surreal to suddenly walk towards each other, both with babies in the Bjorn carriers strapped to our chests. We have babies? We're moms? Lunch was a happy time. Happy to catch up with Christin and Andy, happy to snuggle with Theo, happy to introduce Gus to more good peeps.
Sweetest thing ever? Ah, reach out and touch someone, Gus.
Posted by janna at 11:19 PM
April 17, 2004
Bake back the White House
What a beautiful day today, perfect for the bake sale we helped plan to benefit MoveOn.org's political action committee...Gus was an enthusiastic participant today, loudly asking for people to contribute to change in the White House! It was amazing, all organized in a week over the internet. There were 1000 + sales across the country today. We had such response from volunteers, 40 in Oak Park alone, that we had to have two locations going. It was very inspiring to see people, including myself, becoming politically active in a way that never would have happened before. Ah, the power of the internet.
Posted by janna at 11:13 PM
April 16, 2004
Cereal
A sad and happy time... Gus eating his first food. Granted he only took in 1/2 a tablespoon, and also spit/pushed out 1/2 a tablespoon, and ate all of 19 oz at daycare and wanted more, but that is neither here nor there. In protest to the introduction of cereal, my body went into "I'll show you" mode and created 20 oz of milk in 4 pumpings, where normally I'd only get 19 in five. Who said I couldn't keep up with Gus? Oh, that was me.
Check him out... he was very enthusiastic about someone putting something in his mouth but he didn't quite know what to do with it when it was there.
Posted by janna at 07:12 AM
April 14, 2004
He keeps growing and growing...
Gustav had a great doctor's appointment today.
Drum roll, please:
14 lbs, 14 oz!
25 1/2 inches!
He's in the 75th percentile for both, our little (or big) overachiever...
Gus will be starting cereal tomorrow morning. I have mixed feelings about it. A little sad since I can't solely nurish him anymore, I just can't keep up. Excited because we will be helping Gus learn how to eat, how amazing!
We went for a walk this evening, no coats. Such a relief to have warm air on our skin. Gus wore a hat to keep the sun from burning his head, smile. He may or may not be a redhead and he may not have my skin type, but by God I'm going to try to have him not burn like I did when I was a kid! Well, all I have to do is think sun and I burn...
Posted by janna at 09:41 PM
April 13, 2004
Blue Hair?!
Ok, so Gus has lost some hair.
A lot of hair.
When and where and why it went are a mystery to me, but you can look back in pics and notice that Gus went from virtual five-year old, full head of hair at birth to male pattern baldness over a matter of weeks. This is obviously an obsession for me, as I rub his head, trying to will the beautiful locks back. His hair was becoming more and more red, can you blame me? It is growing back, he has about half an inch of fuzz in most places, enough long locks up top for a proper comb over. Before anyone worries about me obsessing, please know that I know baby hair often falls out and obviously comes back, but looking at Gus is like looking at a different baby now, he's so big and, well, bald.
But the blue hair...all I really remember about my dream last night is that Gus had a thick, thick, two-inch carpet-thick mop of blue and black hair on his head. It was amazing. I specifically remember thinking, wow, it really makes his eyes look blue! It doesn't help that he was the youngest of three children I had in the dream (the whole lot had blue hair). John thought maybe I was having a premonition of what Gus would look like at 14. I love it.
Let's look back...Gus was four days old here. Look at that hair! The socks were knee-highs then and now they barely stay on his ankles. That was a newborn onesie, and now he's starting to bust out of his 3-6 month clothes! The peanut is growing!
Tomorrow is Gus' four month check up. We'll be discussing starting solids, which may need to happen, oh, tomorrow. Gus' daycare asked me if I could bring just one more ounce of milk to satisfy Gus during the day. That's 19 oz. I was having a hard enough time with 18. I feel like someone is going to find me shriveled up like a raisin attached to these pumps, ai yi yi....
My predictions are:
15 lbs (he was 13 last time), 25 inches
Off to sleep...
Posted by janna at 11:11 PM
April 12, 2004
Easter honey bunny
I could probably say this every time I write, but I really mean it: Gustav is just the cutest being ever. Seriously. We went to Unity Temple yesterday morning for the Easter service and Gus just sat and listened to the organ music, not flinching a bit. He's usually asleep or eating during the service, so it was great to see him alert and hanging out. Then we came home and made lunch for Granny Janice and Great Grammy Shirley (John's mom and grandma). Gus is so talky now, very expressive. He kept me company in the kitchen, sitting in his kick and play, just chattering and, well, kicking. He gets really excited when he kicks and the music and lights go on. It's so entertaining to watch, so of course we all watched him play after lunch and the grammies got to take in his wonderfully new abilities.
Gus, Granny Janice and Andy, the wonderdog
Gus & Zeppo (who is becoming protective of Gus!)
Grammies & sleeping Gus
Ooh and ahhh
It was such a nice afternoon. My favorite part of the day was reading books to Gus after the grammies had left. We actually got through five books enthusiastically. He really looks at the pages and this time he was cooing and kicking through them...my mom will love these pics...
Posted by janna at 06:26 AM | Comments (1)
April 06, 2004
Four months old
Gus has been with us four months, so hard to believe. Right now he is just wearing a onesie since it is so warm out, a huge difference to the layer upon layer of clothing and blanket strewn on him for the first months of his life. Today he ate the most he has ever eaten while at daycare, 18 ounces. I'll be pumping 'til the cows come home (pun intended, if it is a pun at all!). Right now I have to pump five times in order to get enough, but I feel once solids are started it will be a bit easier. I don't think he's ready for solids...or I'm not ready for him to be ready yet. We'll see. This morning at work I was putting my pumping equipment in a sterilization bag you can microwave (so wonderful). A gentleman looks over at me placing the bag in and says, "Popcorn for breakfast?"
How do you tell the guy without embarassing him?
Here's Gus showing off his favorite activity, hand sucking. His teeth are coming out a little bit more and I'm wondering if some more are making their move. No sightings yet.
So, happy four months, Gus. It's been the best four months of our lives.
Posted by janna at 06:16 PM | Comments (1)
April 05, 2004
There's so much to love
Will we ever not be in awe of Gus? I find myself going back in this blog, reading the entries that I typed months and months ago but feeling like I'm reading about a stranger today. Did he really come out of me? Do we really get to have him in our lives? Despite the moments where I feel overwhelmed and anxious, I count myself lucky to have these days with Gus and John and remembering that makes most stuff inconsequential. Perspective. Keep it all in perspective. How do you not worry, though? I have found that this past week I have all these little worries that creep up. I fight an inner battle, afraid that if I truly voice all of these worries I will be consumed by them and they will, in turn, impact how I live. I don't want Gus to grow up with a cloud of worry about him. I want him to grow to understand cause and effect but not feel burdened with concern. How do you do that?
Our little guy is, umm, not so little anymore! We went to visit Abby and Michelle last week. Abby is exactly a month older than Gus...and look at them now.
They were holding hands all on their own, no mother intervention.
Posted by janna at 10:50 PM
April 04, 2004
Last week's Iowa trip
How fast the week has gone!
Here are the pics from our Iowa trip (lot's of pics, this will be long!). I'll mostly let the pictures speak for themselves... I loved going to see friends and family now as a mom. It was fun to share Gus with everyone.
First we went to Anji's home and spent Friday afternoon chatting, playing with Maegan and napping. Bliss!
Maegan held her arms out and said, Baby? Anji would get her to sit on the ground. The minute Anji would start to bring Gus to Maegan, she would stand up. It was adorable!
We had dinner and fun times over at Han's and Lisa's house. Ivan is the sweetest little boy, he's almost four, who claims he doesn't have a heart...he has a MAGIC heart. Ivan is expecting a new baby brother or sister any day now (we think boy!).
Gus also met Lauri, but I didn't take a picture, argh.
Saturday morning we went two hours further west to Washington, Iowa to visit my grandmother who is in a nursing home. There we met my mom, my uncle Ken and my uncle Jim and aunt Pat. It had been a really long time since I had seen my Grandma, over a year. We were actually on our way to see her the weekend after I found out I started bedrest, so that was a huge disappointment. It's always bittersweet to see her as she has Alzheimer's. I miss her. I'm also sad we didn't get a picture of Gus with my aunt Deb. Next time we'll have twenty of them!
Grandma Shirley and Gus. Gus loves her, and loves watching her sign to him!
Gus with Pat
My Grandma with three of her kids...my Mom, Ken and Jim.
Four generations!
Sunday morning we had a little sing-a-long, so fun!
Jim with his banjo he doesn't know how to play...yet!
Ken with his guitar
Gus with my cousin, Kersten
Gus with my cousin, Alex
Funniest moment of the weekend: John was setting up Gustav's pack-and-play, where he sleeps when we're on the road. We were staying in Ken and Deb's room (thanks for letting us have the space!) and John had assembled it against a wall. As he was trying to move it closer to the bed, he pulled it along the wall. Once we got it closer, we noticed a large black scratch on the wall. Oh my, how embarassing! Once we confessed to Ken and Deb, we found out that it had already been there, from their old TV stand. What are the odds...
PS. Yesterday, the 3rd, would have been my Dad's birthday. I wish Gus could have met him and I wish I would have known him more. I often see my Dad's face in Gus, it's wild.
Posted by janna at 10:37 AM
April 01, 2004
TEETH! and ROLLING OVER! and LAUGHING!
Wow. This week has been chalk full of firsts, with two happening tonight. First, some background information. Last night was a rough night in the DeVylder household. Gus was up pretty much every hour last night (that doesn't seem like an exaggeration at all), sucking on his fists. Loudly. We felt he had been teething for the past few days, but yesterday was particularly bad. Around five this morning, I went and found the 'What to Expect' book for the first year of life and read about how babes can teeth for months before anything shows. Gus had gone through a big drooling/sucking phase around two months old, too, so I figured it will just come and go until he's about 6-8 months old.
Wrong.
Tonight, I kid you not, while getting Gus ready for a bath, I was making him smile. Big smiles. And there THEY were. TWO. Yes, TWO teeth. And even more bizarre? Not even the ones that I thought were supposed to come in first. Yesterday I was feeling around the front of his mouth to see if I could feel anything. Nothing. The two are on the top, opposite each other, kind of where perhaps an incisor would be, but they seem a bit more back than that. Huh??? Anybody know about early teeth?
And Gus laughed tonight. All I had to do was say kick, kick, kick in an obnoxiously high voice and it got him. Such an easy crowd!
And the roll over! This past weekend (which I'll get to after this), when we were at our friend Anji's home, Gus was just rolling from his back to his left side over and over and over again. When we were at my Aunt Deb & Uncle Ken's house, he did go all the way to his belly and got his hand out...with the help of Grandma Shirley. But yesterday morning he went from his back to his side to his belly all by himself! Okay, so his left arm was pinned under him, but he worked at it for a long time and didn't fuss. We finally pulled it out for him.
He's growing, he's growing!
We went to see Michelle and Abby this evening. Abby is the neighbor girl who is one month older than Gus. Yep, Gus is bigger than her. (!) I have pictures, but I left my camera there...
Posted by janna at 07:56 PM | Comments (2)
Visit from Mike & Kristi
Mike and Kristi were in town from Ann Arbor and had the chance to meet Gus last Thursday. Last time they saw him was around October when they ran the Chicago marathon and we cheered from our bedrest stoop. So fun to see them. Mike and I grew up next door to each other, so it was very strange to be sitting here with a baby talking to him. We'd love to go visit them in Ann Arbor.
Posted by janna at 07:00 PM