How Does One Toddler-proof a Baby?

Well, the "honeymoon" is over.
I can't keep Gedalya anywhere but the playpen! Zusha gets him in the bassinet, in the swing, in my arms, on my bed... I can't even change the poor kid's diaper without taking toddler-chasing breaks. The playpen is the safest place because Zusha can't reach, but he can throw things in!!

Once I came out of the bathroom to find Zusha's boots, 2 toothbrushes and a couple of toys in the playpen. Another time Gedalya had a CD lying perfectly on his stomach!

WHAT TO DO??

Getting Used to the World

At 9 days old Gedalya's umbilical stump fell off.
Zusha really loves him and tries to take him away from me all the time. But usually he just succeeds in scratching Gedalya's face (by mistake?)
Gedalya loves to suck his sosa.
By the time he's a couple of weeks old he can lift his head when lying on his stomach!

Gedalya is such a good boy! He goes to sleep at 9:30 at night and wakes up at 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning. He wakes up at 1:00 or 2:00 am to drink his milk.

That's a Shin!

Zusha looks at Gedalya's snowsuit and says, "Shin" (a letter of the Alef Bais.)
I ask to make sure I heard right, and he says, "Yeah, shin."
So I ask him to show me where and he points to a paw print design on the snowsuit. (A large circle with 3 small ones above it.) That's a Shin!!

The Bris

The bris was on time. It was on the eighth day, but not in the morning. We had it later in the day because of the NICU episode.
We came late to shul- had to be there at 5:45, and the mohel told me to give him a good feeding 1 hour before the bris, which was to be at 6:15. And if the baby nurses for 1/2 hour, how should we get there on time???? Factor in struggling to get 2 car seats into a car service and to get 2 kids into those seats...

Well, after all the commotion, it was beautiful! Zusha d it. He played with the kids and ate the meal so nicely. Except he was very worried about the baby- why do these people keep taking him away???

When the mohel came to check on the baby at home, he told us to leave the room while he cleans him up and he'll call us to show how to take care of it. Well, Zusha wasn't up for it. We couldn't drag him away. He had a panic-stricken look on his face and kept calling, "BABY BABY BABY!!!" Poor kid was worried about his brother.

The baby's name is Gedalya Aharon.

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GETTING READY!

THE BRIS!

NICU

The first time my baby tried to nurse, he forgot to breathe. He became blue and the nurses had to suction his nose and mouth to get him breathing again. He was taken to NICU for the rest of the day.

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Pictures from the Hospital:

All ready to go home! On Motzei Shabbos, April 1, 2006

March 30, 2006 9:19 am

Thursday morning. 4:00 am. I woke up, but I didn't know why so I went back to sleep. 10 minutes later the same thing happened. After a few times, I wondered why I feel so uncomfortable. Can it be contractions? Nah. So I slept in 5 minute intervals until 6:30 am, when I went to take a shower. Then I was pretty sure it's contractions. The shower relieved my contractions so much! Then I woke my husband and told him not to go to work.
My son woke up, and I took care of him- dressed, fed, etc, while my husband was getting ready. He asked me if he can go to shul. I totally thought that I won't be going into the hospital until afternoon, but I still didn't want to be alone. But I ended up letting him go, since it was Rosh Chodesh, and he wanted to daven with a minyan.
So I was home alone with Zusha, and in order not to scare him, I jumped through my contractions instead of screaming. He thought it was hilarious!!

I called my mother and mother in law, who yelled at me to call a car. I told them it's not so bad, and that I'll wait for my husband to come to take Zushala. They told me I'm nuts, and after a few more contractions, I agreed. But as I tried calling a car service, I started feeling a constant pressure and pain. It was very strong, and I just lied down on the floor. Zusha came over and said, "SHHHH." When the pressure got worse, I started crying, because I realized that the baby is coming NOW!!!

So I got up, called a car, grabbed Zushala and dragged him to a neighbor. Finally I was on the way to the hospital.

Meanwhile, I was on the phone with my mother and mother in law, telling them where Zushala is and the combination to my apartment...

I came to labor & delivery and politely asked to be excused from questioning, but I ended up having to answer them on the exam table.
Well, my doctor told me it's 10 cm, and they rushed me to a room. They said that I should push on the next contraction.

That's when my husband called that he's on the way home from shul, and asked how I am. I screamed at him, "I'm having a baby, can we talk later?"

One contraction, which included 3 pushes, and the baby was out.

I didn't know what hit me! I felt so good! Was it really over? I was preparing myself for a day of laboring, so I saved my energy. And I was feeling SOOO good! So before the doctor even started sewing me up or anything, I called my husband-who just came home. Then it hit me what would happen if I had waited for him to come home...

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My precious baby boy was born on March 30, 2006 at 9:19 am.
7 lb 7 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. He looks like my husband. Zushala adores him!

ALEIN!!!!!!

Zusha always knew that it is much more satisfying to do things by himself rather than have someone help him. But at about 22 months, he discovered how to ensure that he gets a chance at EVERYTHING.

!!!ALEIN!!!

Alein, (meaning "myself" in Yiddish), soon became his mantra. Put on shoes ALEIN! Go up the steps ALEIN! Open the combination lock ALEIN! Unwrap his food ALEIN!! Climb into the carriage ALEIN! Screw the lid on to his glezele (sippy) ALEIN!!!!
And when his request could not be fulfilled (like opening doors with a key or buttoning his shirt) he resorted to plan B: tantrum.

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Zushala loves to play in the park. He can climb the stairs ALEIN! and go down the slide ALEIN!

This was Zusha's last day as an only child. The next morning, he became a Big Brother...

Purim 2006/5766

LEIBUSH!

Zusha was the best Leibush on Purim! He walked around with his real Leibush, and he even ROARED!! He gave shalach manos so nicely to everyone, and said "Thank You" when someone gave to him. I also wore lion ears, but unfortunately the camera was acting funny, and no pictures with me came out. Oh, well.

Letters and Sentences

During kiddush, Zusha takes a bencher and looks for all the letters that he knows. This is his little treasure chest of Aleph Beis by 21 months:

א , ב , ה , ח , ט , י , ע , פ , ת

Along with the nekudos: Pasach, Tzeirei and Kubutz. At one point Zusha thought that י was a picture of a moon! And א was "Kobi" for the longest time.

One time Zusha hid behind the curtain and said,
Bye bye, Thutha (Zusha)
Bye bye, tle ziap (glezele zaft/cup of juice)
Bye bye, shesh (kez/cheese)
Bye bye, tatiti (landishi/clapping hands)
Bye bye, on-off!

I think it was the longest 'speech' he's made so far.

20 and 21Months Old

20 months:

• Whenever Zusha is frustrated, he says, "Abi abi."
• Zusha has yet ANOTHER obsession: FANS. He can spot a fan anywhere. Even a picture of a star is a fan!
• I came home from work once and my slippers weren't in their place. So I put on the extra pair. Then Zusha came running to me with my slippers in his hands, calling excitedly, "Mama!" But when he saw that I put on a different pair, he got so insulted!
• Once Zusha was walking outside when a very strong wind blew. It pushed him forward, making him run. He was so thrilled, running along and laughing hysterically.
• Zusha learned exactly what is a Vava (booboo) and that I hand out kisses and cuddle when he gets one. I also kiss and cuddle randomly, but he doesn't like it- only when he gets a vava. So one day he came and showed me a red mark on his finger from a marker. He said 'vava' and made kissing noises. So I kissed his finger and cuddled... then he looked at me as if he fooled me and exclaimed, "CRAYON!"

21 months

• Zusha knows all about opening locked doors with credit cards and other such objects because our building's door was very delapidated and we always opened it with odd objects. One time I was in the bathroom and Zusha was banging the door down and calling me. Suddenly I see metrocard after metrocard flying in through the crack between the door and the doorpost!
• Zusha's favorite toy is his stuffed lion, Leibush. And he lately started to offer him yogurt! He takes him in his hands, looks at him lovingly and says, "Yoyo? Yoyo? Deibu yoyo?"

Zusha's 2nd Chanuka, 5766

Photos, 17 - 19 Months