Busy Autumn Weekend

Before all the Saturday morning chores began, Ty got his first tub bath. I think it was more exciting for Lori and I then it was for Ty. He cried a little, enjoyed the sound of the running water and then cried even more when he was being dried off. As I said to Lori, it will be rough for a while... then there will be the day we won't be able to get him out of the tub.

Following the tub bath I went out to finish cleaning up flower beds and to mow the lawn. I then went to the local hardware store to pick up a few fall mums and a couple of pumpkins to decorate the front porch.

Once all the chores were complete, it was time to get cleaned up and try to get a few family photos outside. One of those photos made the cut and is now on the right side of the screen. We managed to get those in before Ty began to fuss at us for taking his binky away every time a photo was about to be snapped.

We then hopped into the car and stopped by the candy store in Chambersburg to surprise Nan Smith. After leaving the store we went to visit with Pap Smith. Pap enjoyed the company for a few hours, even the occasional crying and fussiness from Ty. Shortly after Nan got home we packed up, picked up dinner at Subway and made our way home to relax.

Following dinner, Ty and I sat down to relax and watch the NASCAR race and the Penn State game. Even though Ty feel asleep on my chest, I greatly enjoyed the bonding time.

Sunday marked the first day Lori was allowed to drive again since having her c-section and giving birth to Ty. She took advantage of it by letting me baby sit, while she went to the mall to get her nails done and do a little shopping.

As mentioned in a previous post, this was something that I was very worried about since I have no alone experience with children much less a newborn. Of course Lori reassured me that I would be fine and that Ty would most likely nap most of the time anyways, so I had nothing to worry about. I think she was setting me up!

Here was my first 3 hours alone with my newborn son....

As soon as the garage door was down and Lori was out of the driveway, Ty woke up from his cat nap and began fussing. I changed him, fed him, burped him and he was still crying. I walked him, patted him, bounced him... still fussing. This little guy has some gas. Ok, let's try Milicon (gas relief for babies). No... did not work.

Went outside and walked around for a while... ahhh, silence. Yes, he is sleeping.... Awesome!

Walked back into the house and closed the door... darn it, it woke him up and he is fussing again. Sat down at the computer and Googled something like "water running sound." Found a good sound that lasted for about a minute and could be repeated. Listened to that for about 15 minutes until it appeared he had fallen asleep. "Yes, I succeeded. This isn't so bad," I said to myself with a big smile on my face.

10 minutes later he began fussing again! Geez, what am I doing wrong?!? So I changed him again, fed him some more and burped him again. Walked him around inside and out and still fussing. Sat down on my Lay-Z-Boy chair and cuddled him up against my chest and patted his butt for what seemed like an eternity. Ahhh, silence. He finally fell asleep. Must have been tired from all the crying. OK, I can get back to watching the Redskins embarrass themselves against the winless Rams.

Then mommy came home... and for the most part, the rest of the evening went pretty well. For Lori, it was good to get out and get some fresh air on her own time without Ty or me hanging around. I believe it helped her quite a bit and I was glad I could help her rejuvenate while I was pulling my hair out.

On the other hand, I guess the good Lord above was testing me. In the end, I am glad he did... because I think I handled my first test pretty well. But all my frustration did not come without a price. This morning I noticed I have a few more gray hairs on my head. I am sure they won't be the last ones Ty gives me! :-) Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!