Monster attack!

We got Walter a puppet today. I think he likes it. What do you think?

So far, so good

Walter seems to be doing well with his new sleeping arrangements. He has learned to settle himself a bit faster each night. I guess those experts know what they're talking about after all. 

And another positive note – Nate fixed our washing machine! My hero! He got the part on Friday and we were back up and running in no time. It's nice not to have to haul laundry around and impose on others just to have clean clothes. There are some things about college you don't want to go back to...

Bedtime battles

Since I went back to work, less than two months ago, Walter’s sleeping habits have gotten progressively worse. For a couple of weeks he was sleeping all night. Then there was one wake up, then two, then three, etc… And this weekend he decided he didn’t need to sleep at all. We must have been up with him 20 times a night. After 3 or 4 nights of that nonsense we decided something needed to be done. After all, there’s no reason both Walter and I need to be crying at 4am. So after polling some parents who have been through this and consulting several books on the subject, we came up with our solution. To just let him cry. A brilliant plan? Or an evil one? 

Last night we put him to bed and rather than going in to give him his pacifier when he cried, we just let him wail. He lasted about a half an hour and finally fell asleep. He woke up at 3am, cried for about a half an hour and went back to sleep again. Even with this little interruption, we all got a pretty good night of shut-eye. And, if the books don’t lie, it will only take one or two more nights of crying and he will be magically transformed into a wonderful little sleeper.

Do I feel guilty letting him cry? Of course. I guess in a couple of days we’ll see if this experiment worked and I’ll find out if it was all worth it. And thirty years down the road, when Walter is all grown up, he and his therapist will trace all his issues back to this traumatic experience. But for now, maybe we can all just get some sleep.

Starting solids

We started Walter on "solid" food this week. The first couple of tries we made the mistake of following the directions on the package - 1 part rice cereal, 4 parts milk. Seriously? The consistency was only slightly thicker than the milk itself and he stood no chance of actually keeping it in his mouth. It dribbled right down his chin. Tonight we tried a thicker mixture and he gobbled it up like a pro. It was like he had been eating from a spoon his whole life.

Trying something new

I decided to take a crack at this whole video thing. I promise I'll get better at it, but this was a fun first try. Here's Walter showing off his rolling skills. This is as far as he travels on his own so far. I'm sure we'll be running after him in no time.

Brrrr....

It's getting cold outside - temps in the 50s. Walter needs to be bundled up when we take Molly for walks. Here's a photo of him all strapped into the stroller and ready to go. This is one of the first hats I knit - a couple of years before Walter was born. I'm happy to have such a cute head to put it on!

Visitors

Grandpa and Mary came to visit on Sunday. As always, they brought yummy treats from the bakery. Walter had a great day and had tons of fun playing with Grandpa. 

Kristin, Jeremy and Kyla came over to see Grandpa and Mary too. Lucky for us - they invited us over to use their washer! We got a couple of loads done last night. Ours won't be fixed for a week. I explained the washer situation to Walter and he responded by pooping all over his pjs. His solution to the problem is to make his clothes so dirty they need to be thrown out instead of cleaned.

Murphy's Law

Being tired makes everything seem harder than it is. We had a bad night of sleep last night and a bad day of napping today. And after two diaper blow-outs requiring two full outfit changes (two and a half if you include my jeans), our washing machine broke. Proving that "if anything can go wrong, it will."

So Tired

I think there is a direct correlation between my moodiness and the number of times Walter wakes up at night. Last night - a 2am feeding and a 5:30 cry for his pacifier. What happened to that sweet boy who slept straight through from 10pm to 7am? He had a good couple of weeks there and I (naively) thought we were in the clear. A good night's sleep for everyone for the rest of our lives! OK Walter, I get it. Lesson learned. The funny part is, the only person I am really tolerant of in my tired state, is the cause of my tired state. Nate, you are a saint for putting up with me.

4 month checkup

Walter had his 4 month checkup today. He's still tall and skinny, weighing in at 13 lbs 6 oz (20th percentile) and 26 inches (85th percentile). His development is right on track and they assure us he will be a master at rolling over in no time. He had to endure another round of vaccinations. After a couple of heartbreaking screams he calmed right down and is currently sleeping like a baby...

You have something on your chin...

The drooling has gotten out of control. The minute I pick Walter up, my shoulder is sopping wet. The front and sleeves of his shirts are constantly soaked. And almost every photo I take looks like this.

Or this.

Or this.

A friendly reminder

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Today we are having a "pink" day at work to raise funds and awareness. So in the spirit of things, I thought I would give you a reminder. The next time you're in the shower, give yourself a feel-ski and check the girls for lumps. 

A new trick!

Walter has been perfecting a new trick this week. He has finally found some muscles in those long legs of his and he has learned to stand! (Supported, of course.) And he can do it for whole seconds at a time. I've never been so proud...

Who's a good girl?

Poor Molly has been a little neglected since Walter arrived on the scene. We haven't had the time or energy to brush her as often as we should and the dog hair in the house was out of control. Walter's sticky little fists of drool attract dog hair like magnets. So in an effort to keep Walter from coughing up fur balls, Molly got a day at the groomers. Shampoo, cut, style, mani/pedi, the works. I'm sure it was more torture than spa-like, but the results were great. Hello Gorgeous!

Welcome!

Welcome to Tall Tales! I have finally decided to start a blog to make sharing Walter's photos, stories, etc. a little easier. I'll try to post as often as I can and keep you all updated on what's new with Walter - and the rest of us.

I'll start you off with a couple of photos from today. Walter is helping Dad cheer on the Brewers. While Nate heads off to the game, Walter and I will be checking the score from home, between naps. 

And check out Nate's new 'do. He decided he'd rather not bother with combing his hair at all, so he took the clippers to it. I was nervous, to say the least. His head is LUMPY! I'm not talking about the occasional bump or flat spot. I'm talking mountains and valleys. But it turned out ok. Unless the light hits it in just the right way, you really can't see the lumps. Now he and Walter really look alike.