Scary Moment: Noggin Knock

Last night, Oscar bashed his head on the kitchen table. I mean, like bashed it.

I was trying to fit him into his ergo, facing outward, which is his - and his brother's - new thing. They really like it. As I had him up, trying to drop him down into the pouch, he leaned forward really fast. As he was falling forward, I reached out to keep him from falling to the ground. He was bent at the waist over my forearm, and as he folded, he hit his head on the kitchen table.

I don't know if the sound was really that loud, or wether it just sounded loud because it was the sound of my five-months old baby's head hitting the table, but it seemed loud. He started crying instantly, which is a good sign, and I scooped him up and sat down in the rocking chair behind me. He cried for about two minutes, loudly. And then he seemed fine, save for the bump on his forehead. I was nervous though, of course, that he seriously hurt himself.

I watched him closely for strange behavior and other physical signs of having a concussion, but he was fine. No puking, no weird pupil dilations, no unconsciousness, no paleness or lack of attention. He seemed in good spirits, and was happy for most of the night. He ate later and didn't spit up at all. I figured maybe he had a headache, but he acted no worse for the wear. But man, it was scary.

I suppose everyone has a story like this, where their kid fell down, or out of their hands and bumped their head. It's one of those lessons you don't think you'll have to learn because it's not going to happen to you. So now I'm just going to assume that anything I think won't happen to us as parents, or to our kids, will happen, and we're just going to have to deal with it like everyone else.

Future Actuary

Why is it that ever piece of baby clothing has to have some sort of sports, or entertainment slogan on it? "Future All Star," "Future Quarterback," or "Future Rock Star." Come on. I wish they'd just say, rather than most unlikely of unlikely career options. How about a shirt that says, "Future Data Analyst," or "Future Actuary," or "Future Male Nurse?" At least that would me a more realistic, and decent-to-well-paying set of career choices. Not to mention, it's pretty funny. At least to me. Here are some more options:

• Future Journalist
• Future Crane Operator
• Future Teacher
• Future Marketing Consultant
• Future Process Engineer
• Future Scientist
• Future Librarian
• Future Bus Driver
• Future Urban Planner
• Future Web Designer

I guess none of those are that exciting, but come on; they're more realistic than "Future Rock Star." And not that I would discourage the little dudes from practicing music in any form, wether it carries future rock star potential, or not. But, let's be realistic: you can't go to college or tech school to be a rock star. I suppose you could go to college to become an All Star, but even then you have to take classes while pretending you're going to be an Agricultural Journalist.

I think these would make great "onesie" slogans. Why not? Come on. Why not? They probably wouldn't sell. I bet no one wants to imagine that their newborn will grow up to be an outside sales rep for a plastics manufacture.

Petar Rolled Over, Oscar Sat Up

Today was one of a couple first-time doings at the Brandeisen household. Oscar sat up for a bit, all on his own, and Petar rolled from his belly to his back for the first time, though I didn't see it.

About midway through our day together, I put O & P in one of their cribs together with the mobile overhead. They were really enjoying it. Petar watched the hanging stuffed animals while Oscar, laying on his side, smiled and made happy noises at Petar. They seemed to both have a lot of good energy, so I thought it might be a good time for some Tummy Time. I set out a couple blankets on the floor and grabbed Oscar. I laid him on the ground on his tummy and went back to the crib for Petar. By the time I got Petar on his belly, Oscar began to fuss, and I turned my attention to him for a few seconds to try and settle him. When I turned back to Petar, he was on his back, looking up at me. I missed it! He turned over, all on his own, and I missed it.

Oscar Talks to Petar

Enthusiastically, I asked him what he had done: "Did you turn over?" "What did you just do, little guy?" Before he could "respond," I had to tend to Oscar again, as he was in full on freak out mode, and hungry. The excitement was short lived and ended when Petar began to howl with hunger as well. I calmed them for a bit and then made some bottles.

After they ate, I wanted to sit them both upright to digest. Oscar is wont to spit up, so often I try to keep him upright and still for a bit after he eats. This afternoon, I positioned each boy to lean on a couple pillows at either end of the futon that's in their room. I covered their feet with some blankets and kneeled in front of the sofa to chat with them. Oscar began to lean forward, and I reached out to keep him from bending in half, but he stopped leaning when he got just past 90 degrees. He just stayed there, sitting upright; not leaning against the pillows, and not falling over. I suppose that's how one does it.

It was exciting. Just as exciting as seeing Pete lying on his back. Oscar began to waiver a bit, slowly leaning a bit more forward, and then a little more, and then back a bit, and so on. But he sat upright, or mostly upright, for a couple minutes at least. Then he burped, and spit up. It was great! And I got that last bit on video!

Oscar Sits up and Spits Up

The last couple days I've spent with the boys, they've been so great. They're active, and seem to be having fun. It really helps that they're starting to show different signs when they're tired, or hungry, or bored. It's not always obvious, but given the sign and the context, I can usually figure out what they need in a try, or two.