I wasn't really worried about being alone with Owen for that long, (although with his new 5am wake-up time I knew I'd be dragging) but then Dave decided to stay in NC an extra day (and I'm glad he did with all that driving) and Owen got sick so that meant no daycare which means no work (and no breaks) for me.
At the beginning of the week, I was stressing about how behind I was getting at work and now, at the end of the week, I'm honestly so grateful for the time he and I had together! Sure, with the poor kid being sick (and single parenting for almost a week) there were ups and downs; highs and lows, but overall we had a good time.
I keep a hand-written journal I call "The Book of Owen" where I scribble down notes about our days together, his milestones, and funny, cute or sweet things he does (and the ridiculous things we do as new parents - like drive over the diaper bag or misread a scale and throw everyone into a panic thinking O hasn't gained weight for a month). So I've got most of this documented in The Book of Owen but wanted to write it in a (hopefully) more thoughtful way here. So here goes. The highs and the lows of my last six days, just me and Mr. Owen.
SATURDAY: We drive Dave to Milwaukee. Owen coughs once or twice, but otherwise, fine! Nothing exciting to report. We just do our thing, hang out at the Terrace with friends, oblivious to the impending SICKNESS.
SUNDAY: The coughing picks up and it's mucous-y, but no biggie. We go on walks, run errands. Owen doesn't eat much dinner, but that's how he is sometimes. And he's cranky, and he keeps waking up all night long, but maybe he's teething...
MONDAY: Owen is miserable! Wakes up with a fever of 101.2. We go to the doctor to get his ears checked because he is absolutely miserable. LOW POINT: I am heartbroken to hear his ears are clear. No infection. No antibiotics. We've just got to let this illness play out. HIGHLIGHT: Despite being sick, we have some good moments. The highlight was sitting outside on a blanket in the backyard, both of us sipping from our straw cups (with ice cubes!), alternating between blowing bubbles (Owen exclaimed, "oooooohhh") and playing catch.
TUESDAY: Full-on sick day for Owen. Poor kid could not sleep in the crib but could not get comfortable snuggling with me in the glider so he laid across me and put his head in my lap and fell asleep. LOW POINT: Owen tossing his cookies all over both of us and the blue glider. Another low point - O pooped in the bath (it was a little more exciting than that but I will save you the details)! HIGH POINT(S): Between fussy times and naps in the glider while I held him, we played outside in the grass with leaves, and had fun rolling across the living room floor (I had forgotten how fun rolling is. It's awesome. You should really do it if you haven't in a while. You can't help but laugh.) Another high point for me (Mom, you will appreciate this) - a cup of coffee outside on the patio in the sun while Owen napped. I finally had that moment, Mom!
WEDNESDAY: LOW POINT: Owen really didn't drink much and wasn't wetting diapers often either so I was worried and just working to keep him hydrated all day. HIGH POINTS: Oddly enough, sleeping in the glider chair with him from 2-7am. We both slept well and got to sleep in! And I guess this is more a low point because it means he didn't feel well, but it was just so sweet. The lawn and tree guy was here and I was standing in the backyard talking to him and holding Owen. In a totally non-Owen-like way, O just put his head on my shoulder and talked to himself quietly while the man and I discussed the lawn and trees. (Side point - not sure if it's a high or low. In a moment of desperation, I pulled out the iPad and we watched a 10 minute Baby Mozart video. Have you ever seen them? They are so weird! But Owen was enthralled. We also played with some free Fisher Price iPad apps and watched one or two baby music videos - 5 Little Ducks and Tony Chestnut. I figured since he's sick a little bit of screen time is ok.)
THURSDAY: LOW POINT: Owen fighting naps and REALLY fighting diaper changes because he assumes (rightfully so) that I'm going to take his temperature while I'm at it. HIGH POINTS: 1. We have the piano here now (thanks, Dave!) and I played for Owen and he clapped for me! 2. Owen ate falafel! I had falafel on a pita (great Costco find) for lunch and if I'm eating something, then of course Owen wants it. So I shared and he loved it! (No way he would have liked it if I gave it to him at "dinner time" in his high chair.) 3. Sipping cold drinks together after a walk to the library. (I have video that is cute. Will post to YouTube.)
So, I don't feel like I'm describing this all very well, but in general the past few days have been punctuated by lots of cuddles, naps in my arms in the glider, fussiness that turns on and off on a dime, too many baby bodily fluids to count, and lots of communication milestones. I didn't list them all above, but Owen is making great strides in talking and communicating his needs...and wants! He's also able to take steps holding onto only one of our hands now instead if both. I'll write some snippets in another post to make sure I get this all down and don't forget!
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