Man's (errr, Baby's) Best Friend

These last couple of weeks have had some painful mornings of Axel waking up at around 5-5:30 a.m. We have a rule that we don't go in and get him until 6:00, so to not encourage the early wakings, but they just won't go away! We went to Visalia last week and he didn't sleep well in the car on the way there, so he really didn't go to sleep for good until probably 11:00 pm. I thought for sure he'd sleep in the next morning out of exhaustion, but nope, he was up promptly at 5:50! So I'm trying to get him caught up on his sleep by taking good naps, and putting him to bed early. Once he seems like he's caught up, I think we might try putting him to bed a little later to make his wake up time later.

I'm really bummed that he has started not sleeping well in the car at nights. Our nightly car rides were always so nice and peaceful. We'd play our music and talk. Now Axel will wake up about every 1/2 hour and cry for a couple of minutes and go back to sleep. It doesn't sound so bad, but there is something innate in women that makes our stress levels rise when our babies cry. I'm sure it's a survival mechanism. But I just can't fully relax until baby is asleep and quiet.

Our dog, Leia, was staying with my parents for about two months. We had decided to move and sell our house and thought it would be best to not have to deal with getting Leia out of the house every time someone wanted to come take a look. If she was a fuzzy little white dog, she probably could sell the house better. But I don't think anyone would be able to focus on our crown moulding or marble tile with a big black rottweiler staring at them and trying to lick their toes. But after looking at our options, we were able to refinance and stay in our house. So Leia is back! We did not miss her while Axel was army crawling, because he would be covered in black Leia hair every day. But now that he's almost walking, having her around is a lot more fun.

This time apart and now having Leia back has brought even more of a fascination by Axel. He is a total love bug in that he will come up to you (or anyone) and smile and lay his head against you and giggle. It just makes your heart melt. So he also started doing that to Leia. Leia, surprisingly, wants nothing to do with Axel. If you know her, she is the most social, playful dog around, always wanting attention. But as soon as she sees the miniature chubby human bounding towards her, she heads in any direction opposite of him. Which I think is great. It's better that she is not interested in him.

The other day, we were playing fetch with Leia in the garden, and Axel came up and took the tennis ball and threw it! So I made Leia sit and wait while Axel threw it for her. This could potential be a lifesaving game, baby and dog are entertained for hours while mom sits and relaxes. At least, that's my hope.

Yesterday, after playing in the garden, Axel and I went inside to eat dinner. I gave him some leftover Swedish oven pancake (ugnspankaka). I made it with whole wheat flour, eggs, milk, and butter for the batter, then added turkey bacon and brussel sprouts. It turns out kind of like a fluffy omelet. Axel ate his entire plate and was still hungry. He then ate four slices of bread, a stick of string cheese, a pear, and two bowls of yogurt. It was like the book the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Some days he can eat more than us, and some days he just won't eat at all. But when he eats, he EATS.

He has also helped us to start eating healthier. We decided from the beginning to only feed him whole grains, organic, and no sugar (only fruits). After continuing with this, it only made sense that we also adopt his diet, otherwise, I'd have to be cooking two meals. So we no longer eat white pasta or white rice or bread with enriched flour, only whole grains, and less potatoes. I thought I would hate this, but I actually love brown rice and pasta now. And I'm learning to change recipes we've always made and incorporating these healthier new ingredients. Like our spaghetti now has brown rice pasta, and you can't tell the difference! We also try to only buy organic fruits and vegetables. These changes really haven't felt bad, I don't think we even notice that we're eating different anymore.

I am still working at the office two days each week, but am transitioning out in about a week or so. It's funny, I've thought a lot about what I think is best....being home or working. And obviously, I think that for our family, me being at home is the best decision. I have changed my opinion on this many times. Before we had a baby, I wanted to quit my job and be home. But after I became an engineer, I wanted to work. Then I had the baby, and still wanted to work, but not until I felt ready. Then when I went to work part time, I loved it, but then realized that even though I loved my job, that I should be home. I have finally come to the conclusion that Johan and I only know what is best for us. I used to think that all women should stay home, and I have at some time thought that all women should work if they love their job. Now I think that I don't know what is best for anyone else but me and my own family. So I'm done thinking about it!

A Genius, and Only 1 Year Old

It's funny, a book I was reading was saying that parents usually brag about how smart and genius their children are, because the changes that children undergo and the things they learn so quickly are pretty amazing. Whenever my neighbor, Suzanne, asks how Axel is doing, I always tell her the newest thing that he's doing, like learning to use a spoon to eat, and then at the end I always jokingly add "he's such a genius!"

It is pretty amazing to see him learning things every day. He has started "driving" everything. Like the hairdryer, for example, he pushed that around the house as if it were a toy car for about 2 days. Then he did the same thing with a plastic pipe, my hair straightener, a toilet paper cardboard tube, and the list goes on. He is starting to want to eat with a spoon and fork, although the end result is always a disaster. He is crusing like a pro and I'm thinking will venture out and take his first steps any day now. He still takes 2 naps per day. One sad thing is that his doctor told us to stop giving him milk in a bottle, just a sippy cup is enough, because milk in a bottle can cause cavities. I was pretty sad at this, because I really enjoy the extra 5-10 minutes after he wakes up, when he lies in his crib quietly drinking. Oh well, soon enough he won't be napping at all and I'm going to have a crazy toddler to entertain all day long, I should be thankful he still sleeps 12 hours each night and takes 2 naps!

After our Borrego trip, he started wanting to be rocked to sleep. Whenever I'd put him down in his crib he'd just cry and cry and stand up in his crib, and wouldn't go to sleep no matter how long I waited. This was really unusual for him, so I thought something was wrong. So for the last month, I have been rocking him to sleep and will lay him down after his eyes are closed. He has also been spitting out his pacifier through the slots on his crib. Then he'll cry for us to come in and get it. Sneaky little baby. So we outsmarted the baby by buying one of those pacifier attachments that attaches to the pacifier and to their clothes that they can't take off. Ha, take that baby!

But then after Yosemite, he had a couple of rough nights, and we realized he was getting at least four upper teeth in at the same time. One night was really rough, where he would only sleep in my arms. I even tried making a bed on the floor of his room where I could sleep with him, but he woke up the second we laid down and was ready to play. No way, not at 2 a.m. I think I just rocked him to sleep over and over and finally he let me lay him in his crib. We also happened to have a friend staying the night that night, of course! But for some reason, after the worst of the teething was over, he went back to falling asleep on his own, no rocking required. I don't get this baby!

We went on our second camping trip last weekend for Mother's Day. It was in a beautiful area just outside of Julian. We got there in the afternoon, set up camp, and went for a hike up to a point called "Desert View". On the way down, Axel finally fell asleep in the hiking backpack! This was about his 3rd time in it, so I was thinking that it was about time that he got used to it enough to fall asleep in it. He only slept for about 1/2 hour because our hike ended and that woke him up. But the good part was that he was tired at bedtime and let me rock him to sleep in the tent. He slept in his baby tent for his usual 12-hour stretch. He still goes to bed at 6 pm and wakes up around 6 am. But that night was FREEZING! I was so cold, I couldn't imagine how Axel could sleep so soundly. I think I slept about 3 hours. In the morning, when he woke up, I took him out of his tent, and he was so snug and warm. I guess it was cozy in his tent after all.

That morning was Mother's Day, and Johan was so good, he snuck champagne and orange juice for mimosas that morning, made me breakfast and a drink, and sent Axel and me off for a walk so that he could pack the truck. I got a couple of compliments on my walk of having a husband who knows how to treat his wife. He had also bought me a present, a dress from Anthropologie. The wonderful thing about having a European husband, is that he buys nicer clothes for me than I buy for myself. It fit perfect, and I got compliments on it all day. We went to lunch at the Station in South Park, did a little shopping in the nearby stores, then came back home where Axel and I crashed for our afternoon nap. It was a beautiful day!

Another recent event is that we decided that I should quit my job. It's been a really tough decision because I really love what I do and have such a great, flexible job. But I have been feeling really strongly that I want to be home with Axel. He is learning so much, and changing so much, and we really want the two of us to be the main influences in his life. Also, we are fortunate that we don't need my salary to survive. I would like to work again one day, and I'll be working a little from home for my friends' company in Visalia, but I won't be going to work and having a nanny. Oh, Lupe, we will miss coming home to sparkling clean perfection. I will have a lot to live up to now that we have such high expectations of our homes' cleanliness. But I am really excited to have much more time with Axel. He is such a clown, and we have so much fun together, I am really thankful for everything.