Too busy Tuesday

The view in the mirror as we drove out of California...

So, I am posting the latest "milestone" a day late. Such is the life of an end-of-the-quarter AP teacher/mom/wife/housekeeper.

The latest adventure (although still a bit behind) was Emerson's first road trip to San Diego. This was both good and bad, as we had one of the roughest night of Emerson's life, but also got to introduce him to his cousin for the first time.

Some things were definitely different from the "old" road trip routine. First, we had to stop in Yuma not just for gas, but on the way home we also had to feed Emerson there. We did so after learning the hard way on the way out that when he gets hungry, and you are in the middle of nowhere, you pull off the freeway at the nearest exit and feed him in the car next to the Boarder Patrol jeep. Changing him there was even more fun with the freezing wind blowing into the car.  We also learned the hard way that trying to pack for the weekend on a Friday after work is not going to go very quickly. We rolled into town near midnight. This could have been part of the issue with Emerson's worst night yet.

Although Emerson slept well throughout most of the drive, the mountains and elevation change near San Diego were pretty rough.  Apparently, from what we can tell, the altitude change hurt his tiny baby ears and made his stomach all gassy. He was just starting to get a cold, which he still has, and perhaps the weird schedule and drive were the cause of him wailing like we'd never heard before nearly every hour for the entire night. He was also pretty chilly in the cooler San Diego air of his cousin's house, so this was all combined into my own personal hell for about 8 hours. We finally settled him down in the bed with us to keep him content and warm. Luckily, there was not a repeat performance the second night.

The good side of the trip was the beach time we got and the nice weather on what was one of the hottest February weekends in AZ history. We are really glad that we got to meet cousin Dylan and get away for a weekend.

Happy beach baby

Laying out in the sun (but only for a minute)

Dad- what is this place?!

I shall give you my intense stare for this picture...

Dad, what are you doing?

Oh! Getting my feet in the sand!

Hanging with cousin in the shade!

We also met a new friend- Emily and her baby Lucy!

So excited to play together when we are a little older!

Well, I may not be mother of the year...

I am going to have to confess that I went into this motherhood thing all high-and-mighty, thinking that "I won't stoop" to the level of allowing my kid to do ___________________ (fill in the blank).

One of those "I will not" thoughts was about watching TV. Truthfully, my husband and I are pretty much addicted, both being raised on popular kids' television shows like Sesame Street and Thundercats (Hey! They are equally educational, really) so really it was dumb of me to think this was a realistic expectation.

I have secretly (guess not so secretly anymore) judged some others, friends and strangers, who seemed to use the electronic device as a distraction in just about any situation (sorry guys, I still love you, though). The only reason for this being that my husband is an absolute addict, seldom seen without his tablet, IPad, and phone in hand. In public, at home, on the pot, in the car--he earns an allowance from me if he can successfully make it through a movie or dinner without looking at the screen. So really, my judgement was not based on my friends' actions at all, but based on the fear that my own children would turn out like their father.

Alas, reality is here and present. There are just times when I know that I won't get anything done, like going pee, or showering, or sleeping, unless I utilize this most powerful of all forms of distraction and entertainment. Sure, the good ol' outdoors and a stroller ride does the trick, but the last time I checked it was impossible to do dishes without a source of water, and even more so illegal to urinate in public. So, I tried it out. Emerson's chair is in our TV room. When I know I need a good solid 15 minutes to do something, I can pretty much count on his full attention being given to the TV if it is on and he is sitting in his chair. Sure, recently he has been pretty good about playing on his play mats, so this is rapidly becoming a solid alternative. But, there are just times when the flashing lights and wicked soundtracks are all I need for some mommy time.

Emerson's favorites include football or basketball, as there is a lot of movement and a ton of faces, and commercials with jingles. He also does pretty well with shows that contain musical numbers, like The Sing Off. However, nothing has proven as effective as animated features, from Bubble Guppies to Finding Nemo. At one point, during one of these animated shows, he actually started to coo and talk to the TV characters as if they were speaking his language.

Just like his papa, Emerson's eyes get so wide when he is watching the TV. He zones out, and no matter what I do, from snapping my fingers and calling his name, to picking him up, he maintains eye contact and concentration. This has proven helpful at restaurants, too.

So there you have it, I have learned the true reason why others' have utilized the electronic device, and I am now a proud member of that group. Trust me, I know how important it is to brush your teeth everyday, and I have the TV to thank for that.

Teakwoods- like father like son!

Watching with daddy (and notice his tablet is nearby)

They actually both looked away from the TV for a minute here...

Distracted but content

At least they are bonding...

Emerson is 4 months old!

We simply cannot believe that Emerson is a 1/3 of a year old already! I know, I know, everyone told us that it was going to go by quickly, and true, we didn't believe them...

Here are his newest cute photos and a retrospective for you!

First we tried to take pictures without daddy, but he wouldn't look at the camera!

This is the best we could do the next day

And a retrospective for you!

Still super happy!

Could we seriously have a teether?!

I may be a week behind... but you know, it is just impossible to get photos uploaded and blogs written on time these days... so here are the milestones from LAST week! :)

So, today's Milestone Monday marks what could potentially be the freakiest milestone yet, freaky in that it is about 3 months early if it is really happening...

We are pretty sure Emerson is starting to teethe!

WHAT?!

Here are our signs: increased drooling, a constant need to gnaw on his hands or our fingers, crankiness when he is not chewing, not wanting to suck on his pacifier but wanting to chew on it, eating in short sucks and taking short breaks instead of for extended periods of time, and runny poo.

His gums definitely feel like there is a sharp ridge on them, too!

So, I read up on this phenomenon, and apparently it IS possible for a baby to start teething at 3 months (we are at 4) and sometimes a baby will begin to feel teething pains a number of months before the teeth come out.

This is NOT a road I was expecting to turn down at this age. And it is also not a road I want to be traveling for the next 4-12 months continuously! :)

Other than this milestone, Emerson was able to do some traveling over the past week!
He surprised his dad with tickets to the University of Arizona basketball game against Oregon State. We made a day of it and went down to Tucson to have lunch at Beyond Bread, hang out on campus, and then enjoy a pre-game beverage at Frog and Firkin. Last, we finished the evening (after the game) with dinner at No Anchovies. Thanks to Brittany Bickley for being an amazing babysitter for Emerson while we were in town.

Here are the pictures to document the day.

Go Cats! All ready to set off on our road trip to Tucson!

Except I needed a nap, first

Our favorite lunch spot!

Desserts!!!

Daddy's giant sandwich!

Daddy's favorite bar...

Campus tour!

All decked out on the mall (and yes, they were playing Frisbee in the background)

In front of the under-construction Old Main

Emerson is impressed by daddy's tour guiding skills

Mommy loves the trees!

But we laughed at this recent addition to the town...

Yep, our seats were not close-- too expensive to get any closer! :) That is the roof, by the way...

However, we still could see the Cats clearly win...

We went closer to the court after the game just to know what it would have been like to sit close...

Mommy's first shot since baby, a Yogurt Covered Pretzel. It was delicious.

Happy First Valentine's Day!

Although I am not normally one to get super excited about Valentine's Day, this year I felt like there was a little more love to go around.

Hope everyone gets to feel the love today!

Spreading the love today...

My special Valentine's Day shirt!

My teacher gifts are all ready!

Super Happy Day!!!!

Milestone Monday!

This week brought a few minor milestones in Emerson's life.

First family hike (with mom AND dad!)

Sportin' my cool shades...

The para gliders were out! And so was Emery...

Yea for South Mountain!

First Superbowl! (Mom was cheering for the Seahawks- who SMOKED the Broncos)

Our team may not have made the Superbowl, but we still dressed the part.

But we also have to add a milestone from LAST week that we forgot last Monday- Emerson's first concert. This was his Grandpa Jensen's show at a local bar called Augie's. He loved dancing with Grammy and watching the band's instruments. Maybe some day he will play bass, too.

Watching the band

Dancing with Grammy, that is Grandpa on the bass I'm watching!

The Life Nocturnal

So, being a mom has brought a whole new meaning to the term "night owl". I have NEVER liked to be the first one asleep. Nor have I been one to enjoy the morning. Thus, the transition from staying up until midnight and sleeping in until nine to going to bed at nine and not sleeping in at all has been a tough one.

I long for nap time on Saturday and Sunday mornings, which begins around 8:00 a.m. (a time at which I would normally still be asleep pre-baby), and lasts until 10:30 or so.

However, we are fortunate in that our little man falls under the "good sleeper" category.

I truly don't mind getting up for my middle-of-the-night feedings. During this time, I have gotten to experience a whole new world. Kind of like when I was on maternity leave and discovered the wonders of daytime T.V., the life nocturnal has allowed me to explore yet another alternative universe.

For instance, at 2:30 in the morning, one can hear their neighbors yelling at their 14-year-old son to come out of his locked room because they are worried about the nature of the note he has written to them on his door.

At 4:00 in the morning, one can hear her other neighbor return home in a taxi after a night at the strip club.

At 6:00 in the morning, one can see a multitude of neighbors walking their dogs past your house, up to the mountain trail, up the mountain trail, and back again.

I have also discovered what so many other moms have talked about in middle-of-the-night feedings. ME time.

That is the time when I can sit in the most comfortable chair in the house, pull up the good ol' Facebook on my phone, catch up on the posts of the day, and relax a bit. I can read hundreds of re-shared links that I would have never given myself the time to read on my old busy schedule. It is because of this "me time" that I learned "Which Disney Princess Are You" and "Which City Should You Live In" (the answers are Belle and Capetown respectively).  I cried over some of the most heart-warming videos and stories I'd ever seen (DAMN YOU Google commercials), and laughed at the most ridiculous of posts that should not have been that funny had it not been 3:15 a.m. and I had only slept 10 hours in the last 38. (Thanksgiving as a Kid vs. Thanksgiving as an Adult on The Oatmeal, for one).

Not only do I do a lot of social networking, reading a bunch of posts, but I am also addicted to a couple of games. 7 Little Words and their Daily Puzzles are my nighttime staple. Then there is Words With Friends. It is amazing that my tired brain can score any points on words, but I think I revert to my English teacher side to play in a half-daze. Last there is Random Mahjong. That little game used to make an hour-long feeding feel like no time whatsoever.

It hasn't all been fun and games, however. My old nightlife was filled with bar time and stupid T.V. My new nightlife has allowed me to research issues I care about. Reading Outside's posts often teach me the power of the position of first responders, or the true danger of living a life of adventure. I have read articles about parenting, making me feel less lost in the process of learning how to be a mom. I feel all around that I have more knowledge about my world and my desire to explore the unknown.

Sadly, these midnight feedings are much shorter these days. It is hard to fit in Pinterest after completing my other steps. I find myself sometimes staying up after Emerson has already fallen back asleep to finish a game, to finish reading a story, or to just enjoy those last few minutes of "me time" in the quiet of the evening. (Even with snores from Kyle emanating from the room next door).

New moms and old moms alike, welcome to the life nocturnal. Now, I hope that I can sleep in just a bit tomorrow so I can fully enjoy my next evening of me time.

The moon over our neighborhood...

And the moon rise over the Superstitions...