Field trips

This week we had a few outings - too bad that it was still a chilly week!!! (Thank goodness the nicer and WARMER weather is finally here!) On Wednesday, we headed downtown to introduce Tyler to my co-workers. It was a very strange feeling to be back in that building. I hadn't been there since February 5. And being there made me realize that going back to work is going to be a lot harder than I originally thought. But it was nice to see everyone. And they were all happy to meet Tyler. Tyler showed his excitement differently - he slept the whole time he was there!!!

On Friday, I had my first hair appointment since January. I was really looking forward to this. I had to cancel my previous appointment because I had been on bedrest. So we packed it up and headed to the salon. Everyone there just adored him and commented on his hair and asked when his first haircut will be. (For the record, I'm not rushing to cut it anytime soon, but if it keeps growing like it has been, Baby's First Haircut will be sooner rather than later. Travis laughs and says that he is getting a "Baby Mullet" - fitting for Mechanicsville.) Again, Tyler behaved very well on this outing. He slept right through it. He started to stir a little bit towards the end, but as soon as Ken (my hairdresser) turned on the hairdryer, he was out like a light again. Thank God for "white noise".

After the hair appointment, we met up with my friend Lori and her little boy Evan for lunch. Evan is 6 days older than Tyler and it's so nice to have a girlfriend that is going through the same things that I am. We compare notes and use each other as a sounding board. This time, we put the boys together in the pack-n-play to see how they would interact. Tyler was fixated on Evan, but Evan wasn't really "into" the meeting. In any event, it was fun to watch the boys together. We can't wait to do this as they get older! We hope that Tyler and Evan will become friends, as their parents have. Eventually, Lori and I were able to get out to lunch after this play session, and the boys slept the time away. We were both very lucky!! We both kept commenting that we were definitely on "borrowed time". That's a very popular phrase when it comes to outings with an infant - especially a breastfed infant.

And speaking of that, we have started to introduce a bottle of pumped milk to Tyler's day in order to prepare him for what's to come at daycare. Last week was one bottle a day, we started two bottles a day tonight, and we will progress to three bottles a day in about two weeks. He'll be getting three bottles a day in daycare and we want that transition to be as smooth for him as possible. Plus, it gives me the opportunity to get used to pumping that much during the day (aka feeling like a cow). So when we go out for a few hours, I pack a bottle of pumped milk for him. I tried to give him some of it while we were at Lori's and he wouldn't take it. I chalked it up to the fact that he wasn't hungry, probably because he was in a new place with lots of new things to look at and listen to (they have three dogs and they were barking and playing around). I didn't force the issue and went about our visit. So when we finally got home, I tried to give him the bottle again so that it wouldn't go to waste (throwing away pumped breastmilk is enough to make any breastfed mother weep - loudly). He screamed. And I mean this was an ear-shattering, glass-breaking scream. And it kept on and on and on. No matter what I did, he wouldn't take the bottle from me. Now, I had read about this and saw that some breastfed babies will all out refuse a bottle from their mother, as they can smell the milk on her and know that the "real thing" is there so why bother with a bottle. And I had also read that breastfeeding mothers should try and get the baby to take a bottle from another person in the beginning so that they don't associate the mother with the bottle, as opposed to the breast. So, Travis has been feeding him his nightly bottle and it's gone really well. It gives Travis a chance to bond with Tyler and it gives me a little break (though I'm acquainted with my pump during these times). Anyway, back to the screaming-while-Mommy-is-trying-to-give-me-a-bottle-of-milk story. He wasn't buying what I was selling. So after about 15 minutes of this, I finally caved and put the bottle away and let him nurse. He nursed like a champ. He nursed quietly and happily. He just wasn't about to take a bottle from me. Guess all that crap you read in the parenting magazines isn't all crap, huh? Better renew that subscription to "Parents".....

Friday was also Hokie Hope Day across the nation, as you probably know. Our neighbors are Tech fans (Seth is an alum), so I called ahead and asked if I could borrow a t-shirt for myself. Not only were they able to let me borrow a shirt, they produced a VT romper, socks, and bib for Tyler! Their kids had worn this ensemble when they were his age, and it fit him pretty well! So as we were out and about that day, many people commented on my "Little Hokie". I was so glad that we were both able to show our support. We continue to keep the VT family in our prayers.

We have another week of outings ahead of us. I hope to get to Genworth to visit Travis and his co-workers this week and then we have the big outing on Friday. We head to Union Mills, NC to visit my mother's gravesite on the one year anniversary of her death. Tyler will get to see his great Nana Scoggin again, as well as Grandpa Ed & Uncle Eddie. We will also be spending Saturday night with Uncle Kevin & Aunt Debi at the lake. I am very excited about this because I haven't been to the lake in years and Tyler will get to meet this family as well as my Uncle Harry's. So wish us luck, and I will be sure to update next week!!