life with a new baby
Posts tagged feet
Mr. Monkey Feet… Part 2
Jul 14th
I’ve talked about Nathan and his monkey feet here… and guess what? He is STILL Mr. Monkey Feet. This is how Nathan typically has his feet when he’s sitting in his highchair. He can never just sit still; his little feet are constantly tapping the underside of the tray, looking for something to latch onto. Being the little monkey feet that they are, I am not surprised.
And when his feet aren’t latched onto the tray, they’re politely crossed at the ankles, resting for a moment. I still kiss those little baby feet. I can’t help myself. Because it won’t be long before I won’t be able to anymore.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Feb 14th
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!
This time last year, I was 39 weeks pregnant and ready to meet my little guy! Little did I know that he would actually arrive SIX DAYS after his estimated due date. (Exactly why it’s ESTIMATED, right?) An extra six days may seem like a walk in the park to some of you Mega Moms… but me? Me, I was in agony. That was six extra days of bloating, back pain, insomnia, waddling, swollen ankles, and achy bones. Even my TOENAILS were in pain.
Valentine’s Day ‘09
Seriously, I don’t see how some of you do it. You make pregnancy look so easy and… fun! But for me, during the first four months, I was so weak that it put even a bad case of the flu to shame. I didn’t have the energy to WIPE OFF THE COUNTERS.
That’s some serious fatigue.
But hey. It takes a lot of energy to GROW A LUNG, right?
And oh, the morning sickness. I couldn’t keep anything down. Nothing. I remember before I could even get out of bed in the mornings, Paul had to bring me a glass of apple juice and some saltines. And he was not allowed to jostle the bed. And yes, that included NO WIGGLING HIS TOES.
The morning sickness was so over-the-top vicious that just the SOUND of someone farting made me throw up. Seriously. Whenever I heard someone fart, even if they were in the other room, I would puke. And everything, I mean EVERY. THING. made me gag. But not just a regular old gag. No, I would gag like I was about to projectile-puke up a massive hairball. WHO DOES THAT?? Well, folks. Apparently I do when I am pregnant.
And get this. I would throw up and the very sight of it would make me throw up even more… so before you knew it, I was on this vicious cycle of throwing up, which made me throw up, which made me throw up… so yeah, I was in the bathroom constantly. It was becoming my second home.
Then there was the second trimester. It was easier than the first for me because the extreme fatigue and nausea finally subsided when I was about 18 weeks pregnant… but then the body aches started. And I had this uncontrollable urge to thoroughly clean and reorganize the entire house.
Only I had this intense back pain that only abated when I wore HEELS.
As in, HIGH HEELS.
So here I was, in my second trimester with a bulging belly and sweat pants (because you know how important comfort is to pregnant women) and high heels, cleaning the kitchen.
The third trimester?
IT FELT LIKE DEATH.
Oh, the pain. Pain, pain, pain. Every single step I took was agony. My feet were swollen. My toes cramped a lot. And my back? It felt like someone had jammed a hot poker into my lower back and left it there, jostling it every couple of minutes for some extra oomph. And constant peeing. The most sleepless night I ever had, I got up to pee nine times..
NINE TIMES. IN ONE NIGHT.
But you know what? Even though I had a painful pregnancy that was nothing like the giddyness that I had imagined, I wouldn’t give any of that up for anything, though. My little guy is so worth it! And I would go through all of that and worse just to have him here with me. And I know there are so, so many women out there who would give anything to be able to get pregnant. I am very fortunate… and all the “negatives” about pregnancy just give me something to joke about later.
Mr. Monkey Feet
Nov 14th
Nathan has been endearingly nicknamed Mr. Monkey Feet. I’ve talked about it here, where I described his discovery of his legs and feet and how he loves to attempt to eat himself. I love watching him play… he kicks his little legs and feet all over the place. He must love the sensitivity his feet have because he just HAS to touch everything with them… his toys, his face, the speckles of dust in the air… he even attempts to pick things up with his toes.
Once he intertwined his toes in such a way that they got stuck.
He strained to pull them apart.
They finally came apart with such force that it scared him.
He drew his feet up to his face, suspiciously eying them like he was wondering how his own feet could dare to betray him like that.
He even strains to touch my face with his inquisitive little toes when I’m breastfeeding him. Which, by the way, is getting harder and harder. His arms flap around in one direction and his feet are constantly seeking something to contact. It’s like he has four antennae constantly waving around, feeling his surroundings.
It can be quite annoying.
But breastfeeding dilemmas aside, it’s really amusing watching him play because he’ll lay on his back and will pass objects from hand to foot… and sometimes he’ll just rest his hands and let his feet do all the playing.
He’s my Mr. Monkey Feet.
Wiggle Worm
Oct 7th
I’ve noticed that the older Nathan gets, the harder it is to change his diaper. When he was a newborn, he laid still… making diaper changes easy. I had no idea what was in store for me. Now, his legs are all over the place. If he’s not attempting to completely consume his entire foot, he’s wrapping his toes around my hair and trying to yank even more of it out of my already balding scalp. (My hair has to stay in a ponytail at all times… if his hands aren’t grasping for it, then it’s the feet I have to look out for.) He flops around, rolling from one side to the other with his fists up in the air. Then, once I successfully remove the soiled diaper, he clamps his legs shut, crossing them at the ankles and preventing me from getting a new diaper on him. Sometimes I just have to stop and stand back, waiting for him to tire out just so I can finish changing his diaper.
Of course, Nathan thinks all this is very, very funny. Me, not so much.
Cannibalization of Thyself
Sep 29th
There has been a new discovery around here. Nathan has discovered he has not one arm, not two, not even three… but four arms: his legs. He uses his legs and feet in conjunction with his hands for everything. He uses these newfound arms to assist him in everything from playing with the ball on his playgym to rubbing my face when I get too close. He’s like a human monkey… always using his feet to help him with daily activities.
He has also begun to self cannibalize. He heartily attempts to consume his own flesh by gnawing incessantly on these new arms. I keep telling him it’s not wise to eat yourself, but he doesn’t listen. He just laughs merrily and continues consuming his fleshy dinner, leaving trails of slobber in his wake.
My little guy is quite entertaining- there is never a dull moment with him around. He keeps me smiling, laughing, and wondering if perhaps I should start self-cannibalizing as well…
Nathan Scissor Legs
Aug 23rd
Feet Vying for the Camera...
My little guy has scissor legs. When he’s happy or excited about something, he will pump the air with his legs in a combination bicycle/scissor motion while chortling contentedly, usually with his index and middle finger of his right hand in his mouth. He does this after diaper changes, during nursing sessions, while watching Blue’s Clues, and any other time that provokes feelings of happiness. Sometimes when he’s Scissor Legging in his bouncy seat, he’ll inadvertently thump his legs down with a force tremendous enough to shake the floor. I marvel at his flexibility. He nonchalantly plants his feet on his face, making him look like a master contortionist and providing his mommy and daddy with endless hours of amusement. There is no such thing as boredom in this house.
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Yes! A personal maid would be perfect! Oh, that would free up SO much of my time!!
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