Bad Parenting 101

Time for some confessions. I've been a bad mother. Done things the books say not to. So here are two recent sins. (Must be the Catholic in me that necessitates such a public confession).

1. Automotive Breastfeeding

On the way home, we drove for 13 hours at night through pouring rain only to reach rush hour / flash flooding traffic in Kansas City. We crawled through crowded interstate lanes at 5 miles an hour for about 40 minutes with a wailing child. Jonas doesn't like his car seat, and traveling by car continues to be a trial. I had the option of using my hand-held, battery operated pump to prepare a bottle of breast milk for him. But this would take lots of messy maneuvering within the car, and we'd be almost home by the time the bottle was prepared. I told Ed to drive carefully and lifted Jonas out of the seat to feed him directly. All in full sight of the morning commuters. I haven't engaged in such risky and immodest behavior since college.


2. Alternative Sleeping Arrangements

When we got the bad news about Ed's dad, we packed hurriedly and headed to Ohio. We didn't know where we'd be staying or for how long. Most logical parents would bring the pack-n-play. That's what it's really for, right? And we bought that Subaru Forrester so we'd have plenty of room. Well, that's not what we did. I just didn't think we'd need it; don't ask me why. So, when we got to Ki's new house and discovered beautiful hardwood floors (but no rugs) and a comfy (double) bed, we were grateful to have such great accommodations. But where to put Jonas? This was our best solution, and it actually worked out quite well. Yes, that's my suitcase. Who knew it could be so useful for such a variety of purposes? For you worriers, please note: Jonas was well supported by a pillow, and I put him sideways so he wouldn't fall into the crevice on the side.


I worried about him all night for the first 3 nights, and used by iPod as a flashlight to check on him. We were staying in the cornfields and there was no light (except moonlight) to see by at night.

I hope Jonas appreciates being a guinea pig. It's the honored spot of the oldest and/or only child.

Vogt Family, July 2008

Vogt Family, July 2008
Originally uploaded by vogted

After 15+ years of battling melanoma, Ed's father, Bill, passed away on Wednesday, July 23rd. He had been wheel-chair bound and at home for the past two years under the excellent care of his wife, Karla, and some kind people from Wayne County Hospice. Although the cancer had spread significantly, he seemed to never be in pain.

We traveled up to Wooster for the Catholic funeral mass and military funeral, just returning back home today. Ed's 4 siblings convened from various scattered points throughout country (San Jose, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, and Greenwood, AK) resulting in an impromptu reunion. Jonas got to meet them all at once! This is a photo of the clan at Ki's home. Ki (short for Karla) is Ed's twin sister. She's posed next to her yellow lab, Molly. The other lab was Bill's dog, Maggie. Ki and her husband John (the tall fellow with hair) just built this bright and spacious home in the middle of Ohio Amish Country, complete with corn fields, panoramic views, and no cell phone coverage.

Although everyone was really sad about Bill, it was nice to be so surrounded by family. And the Vogts are a family that know how to gather close. There were many funny stories shared about Bill, including his limited baby sitting ability. Hopefully, Ed's sister Betz will send the narrative she wrote up about this soon. I'd love to post it here.

Jonas meets great grandpa JC

Jonas meets great grandpa JC
Originally uploaded by vogted

On our last day in Louisiana, Jonas traveled to the big town of Arnaudville to meet his only living great grandparent - Paw Paw JC. Although now 87, that hair on Paw-Paw's head is really his own, and it's not even gray! Sadly though, Paw-Paw has serious trouble seeing and hearing, which is why it was wonderful to be able to hold and smell his great grandchild. Thankfully, Jonas chose illustrate his projectile vomiting skills an hour AFTER our visit with Paw-Paw.

Sleep. Precious, precious sleep.

I'm so excited! Jonas slept from 11 pm to 5 am last night. That's a record! He generally sleeps in 2-3 hour blocks, so this is a HUGE step. I'm not foolish enough to believe that it's the beginning of a trend, though, and here's why. The real reason he slept that long is because he exhausted himself crying. Generally, when he cries, someone (mostly me, Nonnie, or his father) is there to comfort him immediately. There is one exception - the car seat. Jonas is a cranky traveler. He does not generally like his car seat. I have learned to sit in the back with him and bottle feed him breast milk when he cries. Of course, this is impossible to do when traveling alone, which is what happened yesterday.

Jonas and I took a trip to visit my college buddy, Shelly (yes, same name, same spelling) in Lake Charles, which is a 75 minute drive from Lafayette. Here's a wonderful photo of Shelly, looking like a Madonna, and Jonas:

Jonas made it to 45 minutes before he started screaming. I was able to exit the interstate (there was stopped traffic - boy do I hate I-10!) after about 15 minutes to nurse and change him. However, on the way home, it was dark, and stopping was not an option. He screamed for about 30 minutes straight. I knew he wasn't hungry or dirty as we had just left Shelly's house. I talked to him, gave him his binky (yes, with one hand while driving) and even sang. Poor child. Maybe that's why he cried. I can't seem to remember the lyrics to any songs! I can sing about 10 words, then I start to make things up. Sad thing is, I'm not very creative so it comes out like "hush little baby don't you cry, momma's gonna buy you a pizza pie" and so on. Pathetic. So I resort to a religious song I know from high school. Although it's in Latin, there are only 3 words: Dona Nobis Pachem. It means "give us peace" but in my mind, I was thinking, "please child, give ME some peace!"

Bottom line: I'm not going to torture the child into screaming fits so he (and by default, I) sleep well at night. But it HAS entered in my mind.

Swimming Lessons

Last Friday, Jonas had his first swimming lesson! Nicole, a local swim teacher, was giving a private lesson to Ayden and her cousins (Ayden is the daughter of my high school friend, Yvette), and she asked to take Jonas in the pool for about 15 minutes. It was such a hot day, and he had a swim suit packed in the diaper bag, so how could I say no? The reality is that I had tried to introduce Jonas to a pool in my mom's back yard last week. She has one of those blow up pools that hold about a foot of water. After we got him all gussied up in his swim gear, I dipped his feet in the cold water and he screamed! Here are the after effects:

We took this picture with cousins Kerri Anna and Mia Renee' and their Aunt Jan. Can you believe I put my post-partum body into a swim suit? This is a testament to how hellaciously hot it is down here in the big swamp. I would rather BE cool than LOOK cool. Do not look too closely or you might become frightened. I keep my eyes slight averted and try not to think about it.

Well, of course he would scream at cold water. And I immediately felt like a terrible parent who tortured children. So I was feeling a bit insecure about the whole water thing, even though Jonas loves his bath time. Nicole's offer couldn't have come at a better time. She taught me some important things:

1) calm the baby by singing to him when you introduce him to the water
2) hold them under their arms with thumbs under their chin to keep their face out of the water
3) do not submerge their heads until after they've reached 3 mos of age; their ears just aren't ready for the water yet

As you can see, Jonas enjoyed this experience SO much more:
Thank you Nicole & Yvette!

Jonas Grins

Jonas Grins
Originally uploaded by vogted

This speaks for itself. Our boy is finally beginning to blossom into a little person!

How to survive the Louisiana heat

Jonas in hat with dad closeup 2
Originally uploaded by vogted

Wear a hat of course!

Actually, the real secret is to stay inside a well air conditioned building and move as little as possible.

This adorable hat was gift to Jonas by his honorary Aunt Patti. Smart girl that she is, she bought one with a snap neck strap so he can't rip it off.

If you look closely, you'll notice that Jonas is holding on for dear life.... to Ed's chest hair. Ah, the joys of fatherhood.

Jonas picks blueberries

Jonas with blueberries
Originally uploaded by vogted

Jonas experienced his first field work Monday night. With his Nonnie, Dad, and me, he went out to Venable's Organic Farm in Carencro to pick figs. Because the fig leaves can sometime sting tender skin, he and I stuck to the blueberry bushes. He rode in the desidou sling and helped me find the most beautiful, ripe berries. We sang while we picked, but had to stop for an explosive diaper, an SBD (silent but deadly) that really caught me by surprise. Shortly after his first harvest expedition, Jonas experienced another first - a diaper change in the trunk of Nonnie's car. Who knew that a Toyota Camry's back end would prove so useful and spacious?

Nonnie & Jonas with sling

Nonnie & Jonas with sling
Originally uploaded by vogted

Nonnie models Jonas, her favoriate accessory, in his sling. The sling is a "desidou" original, made by his Auntie Desi. (Check out desidou.com) His Nonnie manages do to all manner of things while wearing her grandson, including make dinner, clean the kitchen, do the wash, talk on the phone, etc.

Dexter, Ed, Shelly, Jonas in '22 Chevy

Dexter, Ed, Shelly, Jonas in '22 Chevy
Originally uploaded by vogted

Another first for Jonas! He met his Uncle Dexter today, and rode in his 1922 Chevrolet 490. This car was restored by Jonas' grandpa in 1973, and Uncle Dex keeps it in tip-top shape. It's a fun way to travel on a summer afternoon. Plus, it gets decent gas mileage - 20 miles per gallon, which is better than Dexter's (recent model) Chevy truck!

An Arranged Marriage

This is Jonas' first girlfriend and future wife. It's just the beginning of me trying to control his life. Isn't she perfect? Her name is Caroline.

Smiles & Laughter

Jonas is now smiling regularly, and it's not gas! I only have a moment because I hear him stirring in the other room. He wants to be held constantly!

His is eating more often but in smaller feedings. The books tell me he should be eating more milk but less often. Oh well. No one told him that. He is also spitting up a bit more. I've started putting a bib on him. This evening, when Ed came home, he noticed Jonas' bib - a yellow duck that says "I'm so cute!" Before I knew it, Ed had turned the bib around to that it functioned as a superhero cape. We named him "Super Burping Duck"

We are both still so enamored. We look at him and marvel at everything he does. He is the cutest child in the world to us.

By the way, in case the title doesn't make sense to you: Jonas is smiling and we are laughing.