Busy Day

We started with breakfast, which he ate well followed by a trip to the Y. Donovan was a huge hit at the Y and the caretaker spent the whole time playing with him, leaving the other kids to her co-worker. Whenever I peeked in he was playing with her and laughing and talking. He had a short nap and then we went to Randolph-Macon to give blood. There were thee kids there who watched him for the time I was there. Again he was a delight and everyone was smitten. He ate a pretty good lunch, and then a splash in the pool. I think I've finally got the water level good so he can sit in his "turtle" and play. Then he took a very long nap. I had intended to go visit Steve's mother who broke her arm when Donovan woke up and meet Maris there; it's very close to where she works. But Donovan didn't wake up until 4:10 (he went to sleep around 2:00). So no visit to Nana, but a very happy little boy to go home with his Mom. By the way. . .he is starting to be very unhappy to get into his car seat. He doesn't like to be strapped in. But being his own chill self, he stops fussing as soon a the deed is done!

Life Is Good

Today was a fun day with Donovan. We started with breakfast and he ate a small bowl of cereal. I think he isn't an early morning person and needs some time before he is really hungry. I went to the YMCA and Donovan went into the day care room, where he did great, enjoying almost everything, except when the older kids started screaming during some kind of game. He had a morning nap and a good lunch of sweet potatoes and was even opening his mouth at the end. (When I put the first bite in, he spit it right out--but I persisted and he got a lot better.) He had a long afternoon nap and then we got into the wading pool in the back yard. He is so close to sitting up--he can actually balance himself for about three minutes. Then he starts to tip. But it wont be long.

Lots of New Things

Wednesday was a beautiful summer day and Donovan and I really enjoyed it. First we worked in the garden for about an hour, enjoying a lovely cool morning--all the nicer after our record degree temperatures throughout the month of June. I had a lot of errands to do in the morning, so that yielded a nice long morning nap. He ate peas for the first time for lunch and he is really eating well. Actually opening his mouth wide some of the time. He also rolled over BOTH ways a couple of times while I was watching him; then he seemed to get tired of it and he cried once he got onto his stomach. He had a little more trouble getting to sleep for his afternoon nap, but he was clearly tired, so I put him in his swing and he eventually dozed off. When he woke up, we went to the pool, where we met Maris. Altogether a very satisfactory day.

Heat, heat, heat!!

It's already 97 out, so the wading pool seems especially nice. Donovan has had a good day so far. He is eating well--had half a container of sweet potatoes and a bottle for lunch and fell asleep while taking his bottle, so he is now having a nap. I had to go to VCU to pick up some materials for R-MC Orientation tomorrow, so he had a long nap this morning in the car--that's the easiest way to get him to sleep. Then we spent a little time in the pool before his very good lunch. Over the weekend I made some baby food for Maris: sweet potatoes, squash, and peas. I froze them in ice cube trays and will get them to her as soon as I can without having them thaw out. He is sleeping right now and then we will head back to the wading pool in the side yard under the trees. The water is cool and in spite of the heat, there is a nice breeze. Earlier this spring, Donovan absolutely rolled over for me--from his tummy to his back. He seems to have forgotten how to do that. Now he rolls from his back onto his tummy, can't seem to get back, and gets very frustrated. This is unusual for me--all my kids rolled from tummy to back first! Oh, well. . .as my mother would say, "I never saw a kid go to college who couldn't roll over!"

Summer Is Here

We had a ten day road trip to the mid-west, with good visits with Kathleen and other good friends in South Bend, Iowa City, and St. Louis. Lots of driving but good visits. We missed Donovan during our trip, but we returned to our summer schedule. So I had Donovan for the day on Monday and Wednesday. It's VERY hot--high 90's to 100! On Monday we spent some time with Peggy O'Neill's granddaughter, Althea. Donovan seemed to enjoy her; he really responds to little people. Peggy and Al bought a plastic wading pool, and Donovan was happy as a clam just sitting in there. On Wednesday we did a little shopping at Costco and in the afternoon we went to the pool. He really seems to like just sitting in the water. I'll have to take a picture of it next week. He's getting so much bigger. He has started eating vegetables and is really getting the knack of swallowing. On Wed. he ate about 3/4 of a container of squash. I think I'll make some vegetables for him. I made my own baby food for my kids and it really isn't very much work. Squash, sweet potatoes, and maybe some peas!

The End of the School Year

Well, of course it is only for me. . .Maris has a little more than a week left. But it was our last evening with Donovan before we leave town and the summer routine begins (which for me is Monday and Wednesday from 7:30-4:30). We started off with a good afternoon; he ate and then we went in the stroller around the community and ended with a visit to Bob and Patrick, who really wanted to completely clean Donovan with his tongue! (For those who might wonder, Patrick is a dog.) Then we went to the Farmer's Market, where we usually meet Maris. But after we got home, Donovan wasn't very comfortable. He was clearly in some discomfort, though he did take most of his bottle before we ate opur dinner. He is so tired--rubbing his eyes, almost falling asleep while he is eating. But does he sleep? No. . .his eyes open wide and he is up. Steve and I tok turns with him; Steve was walking with him to settle him down, something I really couldn't do because of my back. But he finally settled down and fell asleep in my lap until Maris came. So, tomorrow we leave on our trip and when we get back, we will be on the summer two-day schedule.

An Uncomfortable Day

Yesterday Donovan's tummy seemed to be causing him distress, because he was writhing when he took what little of his bottle he could take. He was quite uncomfortable. Yesterday was also the day of my third back injection, so Steve came home early to stay with Donovan. So I also was very uncomfortable and, unlike previous injections, this one brought no quick relief. In fact, as I had been warned about earlier injections, this one made my legs sorer! But it was quick, so I was back home before Maris got here. Maybe today, we'll both eel better!