Too much stimulus...too little napping.

The most adorable thing happened today. Logan decided to forego his morning snooze and see how long he could stay up. He was a bit over four hours awake when we were at church. Carly and I (and Logan, I suppose) actually joined The First Congregational United Church of Christ this morning. We've been impressed with the church so far and it feels good to be a part of a greater spirtual community. But anyway, that's not my story.

So Logan was good for the service and didn't fuss much. At the end of the service, the new members sort of lined up and the old members greeted and welcomed us (think receiving line at a wedding). Anyway, at this point, Logan started to get all glassy-eyed. He was staring at each unique face and seemed to be taking it in, and you could see his little brain getting overloaded. And so, after about ten greetings or so, Logan decided to curl his head into my chest and close his eyes. He was out in under a minute. He got all loosey-goosey and limp, and it was really cute--a nice moment.

Flippin' Crazy

Logan has discovered how to roll over. This past week, really, he has been turning from his stomach to his back and his back to his stomach quite frequently. Today he's done it in his crib, on the bed, on the couch, and in his Einstein mat...he's flippin' crazy.

Every time he rolls over he has this look in his eye like, "look at me and the cool thing I did!" It's been really neat putting him to sleep for a nap on his back, and then going in to check on him and he's on his tummy staring up at you with his big, baby blues. The only slightly annoying thing about his new talent is that when he's a bit tired or cranky he flips onto his stomach and whines. It's not as if he can't flip over on his back again, it's just that I think he enjoys making us do it for him. Our little boy loves the attention. I suppose that's what attachment parenting has wrought.

Our acrobat boy is on his tummy again and is pushing up on his arms and whining, so it's time to go give him some smiles and make him laugh. Until tomorrow...

Baby is Safe in Oblivion

I don't know about you, but I love sleep. It's one of my favorite things to do. A solid day time nap or a deep night of sleep really gets me going. It's sounds lame, but I have always loved sleep. I was the guy in college that would leave a cool party because it was getting late and I wanted some shuteye. Or at sleepovers as a kid...yeah, I was the one who got his hand put in lukewarm water because of course I was the first kid curled up in his sleeping bag.

As I've matured, I've come to realize that sometimes foregoing sleep because life has to be lived is a necessary thing. In fact, some of the best times in my life have resulted because I've staved off the sleepy eyes and drowsy brain and lived in the moment even though that moment was past my bedtime. But despite all those good times, I still find sleep to be a buddy and I crave that special feeling of being completely oblivious to everything that matters in the world. I suppose I trust that everything will be ok when I sleep, no matter how deep, and that I will be safe and return to the land of the living. I'm still here and each time I fall asleep I've woken up again, so it's not that crazy, right? Anyway, I felt the reason to contemplate sleep a bit because I can no longer take it for granted. And yet, sleep, when I get it, has become even more fabulous and restful than it was before.

Logan and I just took a nap together, and I was completely out of it. Oblivion enveloped Papa Hill and his child. Did we get lost in the utter blackness and forever lose our sense of self? Nope. Logan and I woke up after an hour. Logan seemed to enjoy his dark adventure so much that he finished off his bottle and drifted back to sleep, allowing me the chance to reflect in this blog. And I know he will wake up happy and life will keep on going.

Fuzzi Bunz or Bum Genius?

The term "reusable diaper" doesn't conjure the most pleasant of images in one's head, but actually they are pretty cool items of technology. We have two different brands as you can see from the title of this entry. Each type has its own quirks, and I'm not sure which brand I prefer. Generally they work like this: there is a rainjacket like material on the outside of the diaper that is colored in dazzling orange, red, blue, green, etc. The inner material is a soft, fleecy wicking type material. A pocket is formed between these two layers and inside of that pocket goes the absorbent microfiber like pad. Baby pees and it wicks from the layer in contact with his butt and gets absorbed into the pad. Baby poos, and well, the diaper just becomes a mess.

Anyway, Fuzzi Bunz are less thick and make my son's bottom look less frumpy because the pad isn't doubled on itself like in the Bum Genius brand. Bum Genius uses velcro to close the diaper around baby whereas Fuzzi Bunz use plastic snaps. Both brands are adjustable and are supposed to grow with the baby, but Bum Genius' velcro allows for more of a one size fits all.

I've had diapers on my mind because I'm washing them all the time! We have a little over twenty and that lasts about 2 or 3 days. To clean these bad boys we have to drop the peepee pad in the can, then take the poopoo part and pre-scrub it in the toilet to get rid of excess poop. Then we toss it all into a hot wash. Needless to say, it's more fun than emptying out the cat litter box. And when it comes right down to it, are we saving any energy or waste at all? I don't know, but as crazy as it sounds, it feels better to do it this way. Although, when Logan starts eating solid foods and those things start to make his poo smell, well then I might be telling a different story.

Close Quarters Crying

Logan has been asleep now for five minutes. For the 35 minutes prior to that, he was crying. Rather, he was shrieking and wailing and choking on his own spit and coughing and working himself up into an emotional frenzy. How did it end? He went down for his second nap like I knew he should. Tough love is tough.

Instead of walking with him and cuddling him and playing with him I decided to be firm and not listen to his cries of protest. He needed a nap. I knew it. He knew it. Now when I say not listen, I don’t mean that I put on my ipod earbuds and jammed out to the Red Hot Chili Peppers or something. I didn’t even put him in his crib to cry it out, although that probably would have been easier for me. Instead, I held him in bed and attempted to be calm while Logan let all hell break loose from his mouth. Eventually, he took an ounce or two from the bottle and went into an uneasy yet deep slumber. Wow.

I’d like to chalk his fussiness up to something, but all his needs seemed to be satisfied. I guess he needed to cry. We all do. He might have been crying because I wasn’t standing up and moving with him, or he might have been crying because he wanted only the comfort that Momma could give him (I mean boobs). All I know is that he cried and cried and cried and I almost cracked like five times but I didn’t. Close quarters crying is some intense stuff, I have to say.

The Neck Nestle

I have to say, the neck nestle is one of the greatest things on earth. This morning I took Logan from the room to allow Carly to get ready for work without tip-toeing around. Logan burrowed his little head into my collarbone and relaxed his little body. We slept on the couch and I felt perfectly content with my little baby nestled on my chest. You don't know how good life can be until you experience this: the neck nestle, possibly the most relaxing, soporific nestle ever created. Needless to say, (although I'm going to say it), my day started off in a great way.

However, as Carly walked out the loud front door, Logan's eyes popped open and he reached out his hand to his Mama. She was already out the door and the poor guy whimpered. I took him outside which elicited some weeping from his Mama. He seemed happy, but after five minutes of her going to work, Logan decided to cry and cry and cry and the bottle laced with rice cereal wasn't contenting him. That too passed, however, and we had a decent day.

A Rude Awakening

At the sound of Carly’s alarm, 5:00 a.m., Logan went from sleeping to crying in about 9.68 seconds. The wife and I bolted out of bed, although to be honest, Carly was moving quicker than I was. Today is the first “official” day of stay-at-home Daddy-hood. I am typing away at the computer and Logan is swiping at moving monkeys in his bouncy seat. This will entertain him for only a few minutes I imagine, but that’s ok because I’m here and I’ll pick him up and be with him. I have the luxury, am blest to be able to stay home with lil’ Logan and am very grateful. I know that this will be work, but I’m hoping it will be the kind of work that satisfies. It’s the first day and I’m already happy about our decision. I got to witness a new side of Logan today—an aggressive side. It seems his waking up grumpy spurred on this new emotion. In his swing earlier on today, Logan was vehemently swatting at his sun teether toy. He was swinging with roundhouse punches that would knock out any baby in the contiguous 48 states. And it wasn’t that he was just forcefully batting his arms, but it was the look on his face and the fierce determination in his eyes. He wanted to smack that grin off the sun toy and smack it good. Needless to say, we had a bit of a talk about hitting. I told him the Rocky punching bag and inanimate objects were ok, and humans and animals were not. I also told him to avoid punching walls. Logan listened, but I’m not sure it sank in just yet. He's only five months old. Anyway, I think I’ve rambled enough for my first blog entry. But before I stop, I’d like to outline my plan for this blog. So what is my plan, ya say? Well, I think I’d like to record the minutiae of my experience with Logan. I envision a 365 day blog. One entry every day. I think I’d like to use the blog platform to keep friends and family abreast of my and Logan’s doings. I blog because I desire connection. I need to stay sharp and I like to write. So yeah, time to stop writing because Logan is kicking and thrashing the bouncy seat real good and I’m afraid he’ll work himself into a fit. I love having an active kid. I wonder where he gets it from?