It’s been 9 long super fast months since experienced really cold weather here in Texas, and it’s rearing its ugly head once again. I like the heat, if you can’t tell, so I’m less than thrilled to say goodbye to by garage sweat sessions. Now I’ll be huddled next to our space heater trying to keep warm with Avery before a garage workout!
When the cold came in a couple days ago, Avery’s bear suit came out. I shared a post about our experience with the bear suit last February and March, and Going Mom and I couldn’t get over how freakin’ cute she was in the thing!
Free Bear Hugs!!
The floppy, over-sized arms and legs were just un-bearable and all you wanted to do was hug and squeeze (gently) her all day!
But now, it was a bit more difficult trying to get Avery in the same bear suit. Aside from being sized 3 – 6 months (oops!), her activity level has increased approximately 500% over the course of 9 months. Guess it’s similar to development in the womb!
So, it “fit”, but I’m pretty sure her mobility was compromised a bit. Just so you know, I only kept it on her for the duration of our cold walk, and then it came right off once back inside. That said, she didn’t complain one bit while we walked, and she actually seemed quite content chewing on her paws.
Although she still didn’t seem all that thrilled to be in the tight-fitting bear skin….
Sorry, dear, but it’s much better than your lips turning blue. Like the did later that day. Double oops!
We just placed an order on Amazon for a new bear suit from the same brand, just bigger size and can’t wait for it to get here. Judging from the pic above, I’m thinking Avery is anxious for its arrival too.
Since it’s her birthday in 2 days, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on the past months and thought it would be neat to do a side-by-side collage of Avery in the bear suit back in February to 9 months later in Novembear (just getting my corny dad jokes warmed up!).
Kelley is off today and tomorrow to get things ready for Avery’s birthday party and hopefully Avery will take her first steps while Mommy’s home too. We’ve been saying she’s going to walk soon for the past 3 months, but hey, you never know!
Have you ever tried cramming your kid in clothes that just won’t fit anymore?
All weekend long, Avery spent most of the time in a cranky, no good for nothing mood, and poor Going Mom didn’t get to see much of a happy baby. I’ve come to accept the fussiness from Avery since she is my “co-worker” every day of the week, but it bothers me when she is so cantankerous on the weekends.
I always hope Avery will be in a great mood all weekend long while Mommy is home so Kelley can see only Happy Avery, but it rarely happens to work out that way. I can’t explain how appreciative I am of Kelley for taking over most of the baby duty on the weekend, and actually, I really need to work on doing more since I’m guilty of taking advantage. Sorry, dear, I’ll do better! 🙂
After reading through a list of symptoms for a certain stage of teething, we quickly confirmed Avery was in a full blown session of sprouting molars. Biting, excessive pooping, very moody, hands in mouth, refusing food, etc. You name it, Avery was doing it.
Most of the signs started showing on Friday, and lasted until, well, they’re still here actually. Damn. But besides the agony of hearing your baby in agony, something happened late Sunday night/early Monday morning; we had a family bonding experience.
It was the usual scene in our house, we were in the living room and I was eating (I typically eat 2 big meals a day, and the 2nd one is the biggest and late at night) the second part of my meal and Kelley was asleep on the couch when Avery’s cries emanated through the monitor. Sometimes they’re really quick and only happen when she is shifting in her crib, this wasn’t one of those times.
Sitting up and screaming, my stubborn self tried to tell Kelley to just let it pass, but she’s too caring of a mother and quickly went to Avery’s aid to nurse her back to sleep. Or so she thought. Instead, Avery nursed some but then wouldn’t have anymore and instead more screaming ensued.
I was still sitting down with the last of my food when I heard the screaming start back up, and continued for several minutes. Finally, I put what I had back in the fridge and went to see how I could help. Before I made it to the nursery, Kelley appeared in the living room with our poor little Avery crying in pain.
We sat in the living room as Kelley held Avery and tried to figure out what to do. Turn on the TV? No, too stimulating. Give her homeopathic teething pills? No, too ineffective at this point. Pet the cat? Ohhh, yes, that worked…….for a minute. Our attempts were futile so we continued sitting there holding Avery and hoping she’d finally calm down and go back to sleep.
Hoping only gets you far. After taking turns holding her, I suggested we just lay on the rug in the middle of our living room and hope she falls asleep with us or we’ll all join in on the crying fest. We grabbed pillows from the couch and laid down next to each other with Avery to see what she would do.
More crying followed, interspersed with yawns and putting her hands in her mouth. Going Mom was taking a beating from Avery’s flailing limbs, so I took over holding our restless baby. Still crying and squirming in my arms, we were at our wit’s end on what else to do, so I just laid flat on my back and had Avery resting on her back on my stomach. I mean, why not, right?
Well, the crying stopped, but every half second she’d turn her head to the left or right and swing her arms around. I felt like it was a lost cause, but then Avery grew silent and her arms hung to the side and head stayed still. She was quiet and almost asleep!
Kelley and I exchanged glances in disbelief as it happened so suddenly, but we didn’t want to risk testing her. Part of me felt extremely guilty after my dear wife spent so long trying to comfort Avery and after she became so exhausted, she winds up falling asleep on me. But then again, maybe my wife didn’t really want a 20+ pound baby lying on her chest on the flat, hard ground.
My lower back was in pain and my feet couldn’t stretch all the way out, but there was no way I was messing this up! She was sliding a little, so I slowly turned Avery over on her stomach while still on my chest and secured her as best as I could. Kelley and I, laying side by side on our living room floor, said “I love you” to each other and fell asleep.
Okay, I didn’t sleep much as I had to keep readjusting Avery and my urge to pee was increasing by the minute. Finally, after about an hour and a half, I really had to pee and didn’t see Avery lasting much longer on my chest anyway. Using my Turkish Get-up skills, I stood up with Avery still asleep and laid her in her crib. She hardly budged, poor girl was worn out!
Our bed welcomed Kelley and me as we transferred from the floor, but as uncomfortable as it was, I will always look back on that night and smile. We rarely get to hold Avery to our chest when sleeping like we did almost daily as a newborn, so this rare occasion was a treat. And to think, I didn’t even want my wife going in there in the first place! Thank you, Kelley, for not listening to me! 🙂
This post is part of the Brilliant Blog Posts Link-up on the Honest Mum blog. Make sure to head on over and see all of the featured Brilliant Blog Posts from bloggers all over! Do you have any sweet memorable moments during a stressful time?
Sweetness aside, how long did teething last for your baby?
For the past few months, I’ve been enjoying listening to podcasts covering topics on fitness, nutrition, and obviously, being a dad. I have a few favorites on fitness/nutrition that I look forward to each week, but for the dad podcast, I only listen to The Life of Dad Podcast since it’s all you need for Dad-ertainment!
Regarding the fitness and nutrition podcasts I’m subscribed to, the one I listen to the most is from Ben Greenfield Fitness. Ben Greenfield is one of the world’s top personal trainers and wellness consultants who, in 2013, was voted as one of the top 100 most influential people in the health and fitness industry. Plus, Ben and his co-host, Brock, always put on an entertaining and informative show.
Since I’ve discovered his podcast, I’ve been listening along as I go on my daily walks with Avery. Hopefully she’s picking up on the great info too! As a dad to 6 year old twin boys, Ben frequently mentions the fun, creative ways he includes them in many of his exercise routines and has provided tons of advice on how to keep kids active and healthy. Or, as he puts it, raising tiny superhumans.
The world needs more tire flipping families!
Taking his words of wisdom on how to raise tiny superhumans, Going Mom and I have been implementing what we can to ensure Avery maintains her superhuman status all the way into adulthood.
We have a power squat rack with an Olympic barbell set in our garage in which I use to follow an upper/lower strength routine. We now have her jumper setup in the garage, and luckily Avery tends to enjoy this time making her own jumper workout.
Happy to workout in the garage.
I guess every day is “lower” day for her! Actually, with how much she crawls and pulls up on everything all day long, she’s getting a full body workout every day of the week. I’d say she’s on her way, if not already there, to superhuman status!
Ben also gives plenty of nutrition advice for kids (most adults should use it too!) that Kelley and I will surely use as Avery grows. For now, her main source is still breast milk, as all babies should have and deserve, along with steamed veggies and a little egg at dinnertime.
Going Mom and I also make it a point to get on the floor with Avery and simply play.
This does so much for a child’s development, and once she’s older I’ll add in a little rough housing too.
Seriously, if you’re a parent, go listen to that podcast now! Ben and his friend, Ari, give all kinds of great advice on ways to exercise with your kids and incorporate healthy food in their diets. Some of my favorite things mentioned are:
– Going to a park or any open field and let your kids practice kicking a soccer ball or throwing a frisbee as you sprint after them to “fetch” and bring them back. Upon returning, he then suggests doing 5 burpees together, or you can whatever you and your kids are capable of.
– Doing pushups and pullups with kids on back.
– If you work out at home, have mini versions of your equipment available so your kids can see and mimic your workouts. You can buy things like mini kettlebells and medicine balls made specifically for kids and I can’t wait to get both for Avery.
– Go on hikes and wear a weight vest to keep you from going too far ahead. Ben also mentions using an elevation training mask to make it even more challenging for you and I already bought mine to have ready once Avery is walking on her own. Then, if/when your kids tire, pick them up and carry them for a bonus challenge.
Elevation training mask + babywearing = not impressed
– Making use of essential oils instead of modern medicine. Use lavender oil on your kids’ pillow to help them relax and sleep peacefully or treat infections with oil of oregano. Even remove warts using lemon oil instead of the dangerous chemicals sold in most stores.
I could go on with a long list of things Ben and his many guests give on how to raise tiny superhumans, but I suggest you go have a listen or read for yourself. As a matter of fact, he has an awesome e-book titled “10 Ways to Grow Tiny Superhumans” you can download now and start incorporating his healthy advice today. And it’s not limited to just your kids, this advice is beneficial for us parents too!
For more informative articles Ben published on the topic of kids, check out this link to his website and have a look around.
I get antsy every time I listen to Ben mention some new activity he did with his twin boys as I can’t wait to do the same with Avery as she grows. That said, I’m not rushing her to grow up anymore….time is going fast enough as is!
Have you heard of or listened to Ben Greenfield?
Do you currently do anything active or healthy with your kids to turn them into tiny superhumans?
Disclosure: I was not compensated in any form for this post and all thoughts/opinions are strictly my own. That’s not to say I didn’t try though!!! 🙂
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
