Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz: Noomie Update

If you have read, or are currently reading, Dr. Seuss's ABC book, you will know what a "Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz" is.

In a nutshell, my day is all about duckdogs and quacking quackeroos... not to mention the Wozet in the closet, or the Nooth Grush on the boy's tooth brush. I mean, seriously, are these quality learning materials? Maybe, maybe not. But they are certainly classics.

And my day with Noomz would not be complete without reading a few books in the Dr. Seuss collection. Ethan really enjoys "One Fish, Two Fish", mainly because the book has these moveable plastic fish toys along the spine which he likes to reach for while I read to him.

But Noomz is changing, developing.

We (Kelly and I) have officially agreed, that, yes, Ethan CAN sit unaided now, and so I've gone on to buy Stage-2 foods. Some of the foods I bought include: sweet potatoes and corn; banana, apple and pear; turkey and turkey gravy; and other single veggie or single fruit varieties that are thicker and chunkier in consistency and not the liquid puree of stage 1 level foods. In addition, I bought a multi-grain cereal that I plan to indroduce by first mixing with his single-grain rice cereal he's been eating now for a couple months.

But besides Ethan's ability to sit on his own, he is getting very hard to carry and hold still as he likes to climb and grab and generally do things with intent (i.e. you are holding something I want or am interested in simply because you are holding it). He rolls all the time, and so we cannot put him on elevated furniture (bed, sofa) unless we are right there with him. Even using pillows as barriers is not always full proof. He can get around them, or over them, but he does so not by crawling (yet), but by rolling, and pushing up with his legs when on his back. Clever little guy.

As if these changes were not all enough for mom and dad to tackle first, Ethan has also developed a bit of stranger anxiety, and also separation anxiety, or both the same? First, like in situations where we are in public and some of our friends wish to carry him, a once very playful and willing 3-month old is now a stranger-fearing 7-month old. He does warm up to others in a few minutes, and some, instantly, so not really "sranger anxiety" per se, but definitely something going on there.

Separation anxiety though has given us more trouble. Ethan can hardly be put down anywhere for a second before he kicks up a fuss. If you are out of his line of sight, he will let his displeasure be known. Calling back at him as if to say "don't worry, I am still here" only restores comfort for a second or two, if that.

And so bed time routines are being reinvented, and sad to say, his sleep training is no more. Ethan wakes regularly once, or twice at night, and usually cannot fall back asleep, as he usually flips to his stomach and props himself with his arms and finds this new position not conducive to going back to sleep :-) And mom and dad, being softies, let in, and he ends up cozying up in bed with us, content and snoring his baby zzzzzzz's the night away.

Kinda just have to roll with the punches I guess. One day at a time. One "Verna Vera Vin and her violet violin" at a time.