Santa Claus

Monday, December 21, 2009
Baby Day was oh-so-serious about meeting Santa. Ken and I did all of our tricks to make her smile, laugh, or at least look relaxed. No. Very Serious Baby Day. But she didn't cry. In her defense, Santa was not very interactive. But, he kept that friendly smile plastered on the entire time. Speaking of plastered... maybe Santa had a little something stashed away in his boot.

Independent Woman

Monday, December 14, 2009
Apparently, I have been impeding my child's development. The pediatrician asked me last week if she was crawling to which I had to reply sheepishly, 'Well, she CAN. She just DOESN'T." That's because at the slightest whimper, I would run to pick her up. Yes, the one obstacle was ME! (Imagine that.) This week she has been sick, and we were home together for 5 LOOONG days. I think she finally got tired of me holding her, and she is now Ms. Independent Woman. Pulling up on everything and crawling (the REAL thing, not the army crawl) around like mad. She's even crawling AWAY from me to explore. She has finally realized that she is a whole separate person!







Pumpkin Patch

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Day had fun at the pumpkin patch even though she looks a little concerned in some of these pictures. It was just all new to her. This place is a wonderland of pumpkins, gourds, squash, etc. Every variety you never knew existed.



She’s still not pulling up on anything, but we love to “pose” her standing up…



Baby Boo is one of her many nicknames. Yes, we do her like we do our animals. Lots of nicknames.



She wasn’t so sure about the corn.



This is a proud daddy.



Look how fat her cheeks are!



And another stand up pose. First we sat her against the “How Tall” wall, and then Ken had this idea. He is smart.





It was such a sunshiney beautiful day. I think that’s why I love this picture… muted colors in the shade. And a smiley girl.



We saw lots of people we knew that day, so we snagged someone to take this family photo.



To me this look says, “What is the heck is going on over THERE?”


Happy Tractor Baby



Momma-girl (another nickname)



Day and I went back to the pumpkin patch last week with Jason, Lucy, and Caston. In case you didn’t know, “tractor” is one of Caston’s favorite words. And favorite things.



Look how BIG he is…



This look on Caston’s face (and his posture) pretty much sums up the experience for him. He was generally annoyed by Day. He didn’t want her touching him or even getting too close.





Caston did not like the corn.



The problem with getting his picture against the “How Tall” wall was getting him to stand still.



Again… Caston is annoyed and Day is oblivious.



I love this! My baby brother and our babies. (Sorry, Jason. You ARE my baby brother.)



“She’s touching me again!”


And this is how it ended… Jason peeling Caston’s fingers off the tractor steering wheel.

Life is Kinda Normal

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I feel like life might be returning to something close to normal. Like maybe I’m coming up for air. Regular sleep will do that for you. Day is growing fast and is developing a personality that I find so amusing and hilarious. She is a studier, not really a jump-on-in kinda gal. She’s also quick to let you know what is working for her and what is NOT working for her. AND she finds the greatest things funny. Like ME! I swear, she thinks I’m a comedian. And I’m really not that funny. Which to me, makes the whole interaction really funny.

She loves playing peekaboo and is still mesmerized by McWolly the cat. She likes the dogs ok, and GG is definitely her favorite, but when McWolly walks by, Day stares. She’ll crane her neck and turn around backwards to watch what the cat is doing. Which is usually nothing more than just sauntering by. Then she’ll look at me and SMILE like, “Did you see that incredible animal?”

We’ve gotten into a good routine these days. A 30 minute nap after school (for her, not me), a stroll to the park or just around the block, din-din, bath, then bedtime by 7:00 PM. I sometimes even have time to pay bills, fold clothes, etc. Mornings are not as smooth. Sometimes Ken and I have to decide who is going to be late for work. Mostly, it’s me. I am so impressed with people who can actually make it to work on time after getting themselves and a baby ready for the day without help from another adult. I’m pretty smart, but I have yet to figure that one out. And please don’t offer the obvious advice… Get up earlier. It’s irrelevant.

I make all of Day’s food. And not because I am Susie Homemaker. (That just made some of you laugh.) I do it because it is cheap and because it makes me proud. It’s the kind of cooking that I can handle… boil some water, blend it up, freeze. Last weekend we spent about $8 on fresh fruits and vegetables and made 3 weeks worth of food. It took me maybe 45 minutes total. Nice, huh? Pretty soon, we’ll start doing more finger foods and help her learn how to feed herself. The few times we’ve tried to encourage this, Day kinda gets icked out that there is food on her hand. And she has not made the connection to put it in her mouth. She just shoves it off the tray.

Bath time for Baby Day:



I guess kids just want to have what they see you with. This is probably why she reaches frantically for the remote, cell phone, beer bottles, and laptop. Here she is checking her Facebook in her UGG boots that FAB sent her before she was even born. And leg warmers with a skirt and camo onesie. Isn’t she the perfect combination of me and Ken?


I’ll admit it. Sometimes I get stuck in my thinking. Ken is so much more creative than I am. I have been strolling Day to the park for months now, but all we ever do is look around or maybe visit if we see somebody we know. Then one day, Ken sends me a picture of Day on the swing at the park! Incredible! I thought she was still too little for those! No, she is not. They are made for babies her age. And she loves them. Thanks Ken for reminding me that she is not 10 weeks old anymore.

This particular hand in mouth position is what I call her anchor. It happens when she is so excited or scared that she doesn’t know what to do with herself. In this case, excited.



Is this the cutest baby girl you have ever seen? Yes? Why, thank you.



I’m sure Day will not appreciate me sharing this, but she had an awful diaper rash last week. They called me from daycare to come get her. I told my friend Sarah that I guess I was just going to take her home, get her naked, and let her pee on everything so she could “air out”. Then, Sarah (who truly is a genius) says, “Why don’t you use puppy training pads?” I guess because I’d never thought of that! It worked perfectly. The cloth diaper is taped on - again thanks to Ken for his mad creative thinking skills.



This dress on this baby makes me smile.



I promise I’m not trying to rush things, but I just knew she would stand there if I propped her up and showed her how to hold on. She was so proud of herself. She hasn’t quite mastered pulling up by herself, but I have a feeling it won’t be long.

Operation Tough Love

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I wanted to wait at least 4 days before I shared this news. Just in case it was a one time thing. Or a two time thing. But, because it is at the very least a four time thing, I feel confident in sharing...

BABY DAY IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

And through the night means only getting up 2-3 times between 7 PM and 6/6:30 AM. This is miraculous. We had been averaging 10 times a night before we enacted Operation Tough Love. From 10 times down to 2 or 3 has changed my life. How have I functioned this long without sleep?

So, here’s how it went. Last Friday night was awful. Up every hour. Wiggling. Kicking me in the stomach and the boobs. Head butting me. At one point I just got out of her way and she stretched out in MY spot and was happy. At some other point she started her fussing business and I had already nursed her 135 times so I scooted her over to Ken and told him, “I am sick of nursing her. HELP ME!” So he was trying to soothe her and about 15 seconds later I grabbed her feet and pulled her back to me to nurse… yanking her FAST across the bed. She hushed (partly because she was startled by the scoot, mostly because she got what she wanted = NURSE), but I realized that I was MAD at her and that something had to change.

So, I staged my own intervention.

Some quick background info: Day has been sleeping in our room for 7 ½ months (her whole life). She started in her bassinet, then spent a couple of months in our bed. Then we moved her crib into our room. I spent another couple of months moving her from our bed to her crib every few hours, several times each night. Then over the last 4-5 weeks, she has been back in our bed full time. And just recently started waking up EVERY HOUR. I took it for as long as I could - maybe 3 weeks of that, then last Friday happened…

Ok, back to my intervention. Saturday morning I called Cindy and told her I needed advice. She said, “You don’t want to hear what I have to say.” I explained to her that, yes, not only did I want to hear it, but it was why I had called. I knew what she would say. She gave me a pep-talk, told me yes it would be hard, but MOVE that baby into her own room. She also told me that I was the biggest B*TCH she knew, so it was time for Operation Tough Love. That worked for me. No offense taken. Time to put the big girl panties on. After all, if I am honest with myself, I had her in my room more for MY comfort than hers.

And it actually has not been that tough. Obviously, we are all sleeping better. I did miss her pretty bad the first night, but one night of loneliness is NOTHING compared to months of sleeplessness. Now, when she gets up Ken or I go to her room and rock her (or I nurse her) back to sleep. It usually takes less than 5 minutes, then she’s back in the crib. Sound asleep. We’re living like normal people.

Philosophically, I believe co-sleeping is ideal. But if you will notice the root word there is sleep. That was not happening, so we were never really co-sleeping. We were co-laying in the bed and fighting. Nobody can say I didn’t give it everything I had. We tried.

Last night she went to bed at 7, got up briefly at 10:30, then not a peep until 5 AM. Even then, she went back down until 6:30. And yes, I did go check on her twice. At 4:00 had wiggled herself into the corner and was on her stomach with her butt in the air. HEAVEN! She could have never gotten into that position in our bed. So, I think she’s happier. I’m definitely happier. Ken gets a little less sleep, but happy momma makes him happier.

I’m sure that the next growth spurt, illness, or tooth will disturb our perfect pattern, but now I know that it CAN be better than it was. And I am stubborn enough that I needed to learn that lesson all on my own. It’s how I operate.

In other Big Girl news, Day is drinking her milk out of a sippy cup at daycare. She doesn’t look really thrilled about it in this picture, but Miss Jackie says she’s doing a great job.



And this was Monday… out enjoying the beautiful weather. She kept her leg propped up like that and her shades on the entire time. Hollywood.

You CAN always get what you want!

Thursday, September 10, 2009
Day will be 7 months old tomorrow. She sits up all by her big girl self. She hasn't really tried to crawl yet, but why would she need to? We put everything she wants within her reach. And we also pick her up every single time she fusses. And she still mostly sleeps in our bed. And she still thinks she has to nurse all night. If it is even possible to spoil a 7 month old, she is officially spoiled. But we all like it that way. She rules.

We bought her a sippy cup this past weekend, and she is very proud to sip her water out of it. Ken has been concerned that she has something to drink while she's eating dinner, so now we have the sippy. And she loves it. And Daddy is happy. He is also happy because Day's babble is Da-Da this and Da-Da that. We have been talking about whether it counts as her first word or if she is supposed to know what she is saying before we can officially call it her first word. Really, I'm just giving Ken a hard time because the only time she says anything remotely like Mama is when she is crying. It's all Da-Da when she is happy and playing.

We are entering the stage of separation anxiety. Big time. And I mean break down crying and screaming when I walk out of the room like she may never see me again. "THEY" say not to sneak out of the room, but to say "bye" and tell them where you are going. That when you sneak out, you are just feeding their fear that you will disappear into thin air. But, sometimes I just have to sneak out. And she'll get distracted and not miss me until I reappear. Then she gets mad that I ever left and pitches a big fit. And so I pick her up and reassure her that I did not vanish into thin air. And of course that reinforces the "pitch a fit equals being picked up" equation that she is so fond of. Miss Jackie does this for her at school, too. So she's learning fast that fussing gets her what she wants. How else will she get what she wants? She's a baby!

She has 4 teeth now - 2 top and 2 bottom. Yeah, sometimes she tries them out on me while she's eating, but mostly when she's finished and just bored. It doesn't hurt long. And it doesn't happen that often. I think more teeth must be trying to break through because she grinds. It is an awful sound! I've felt in the back for molars, but none have appeared. I'm really not sure which ones are supposed to come in next anyway.

These pictures are from the last few weeks. Just random stuff:

Sometimes she goes to sleep while I'm feeding her at lunch. It melts me.



Here's a shot of the chompers.



This was her first ride in the grocery store buggy. Ken is still doing the produce comparison thing from when I was pregnant. Looks like Day might be as big as that watermelon!



Just about the only place in the house that she is happy when NOT being held is in her Bumbo on the kitchen counter. I think it's just a good height and she doesn't feel like she's missing anything. Makes doing dishes and cooking more pleasant with such happy company.



This is a STAGED shot. I did not, repeat DID NOT, feed my baby ribs on Labor Day. But I did pose her chewing on one for Miss Jackie (from the chicken bone incident).



Look at this sprig of hair! This is the last of the mohawk she was born with. The rest is new hair. It's like a baby comb over most of the time, but then sometimes it sticks straight up. I love it!



This was her 1/2 birthday party. It was only me, Day, and Ken. And there wasn't a cake - just green beans. But she did get a card. And what did she do with it? Straight to the mouth.



We are in between stages with bath time. She sits up, so she could take a bath in the big tub. But that would require bending over her and well, that's just not comfortable. She doesn't like to lean back. She never has, really. So this plastic tub is not her favorite. We tried just sitting in the sink and that worked ok, but I have sanitation issues with it. Guess we'll work through that soon enough.



We have been working on good sleep habits since the beginning, with MUCH struggle. Most days when we get home from work/school she takes a 30 minute nap. Sometimes in the swing, sometimes in my bed with my help. This particular afternoon she was exhausted so I just put her in her crib and walked away. I do this periodically and the result is always the same. FREAK OUT. This time she just wiggled around, chewed on Arnold's tail (the pig), and went to sleep. I was so proud! She almost lost her sock in the process.



No story here. Just unbelievable cuteness.



And for the record, she will also pant for a glass, regardless of what's in it. So, my theory is that it is the material she is so crazy about. Not the alcohol. But, it is still a little bit unnerving to see her pant like a dog while reaching for a bottle of beer. And just like most things at our house, she gets what she wants. At least it's good beer.



I love this crazed look. This is how she gets when she's sleepy and can't really stay with any one thing very long.



Another picture from lunch at First Methodist. Would you call this look mischievous?



This was a strange happening. She was home with a fever, so that might have contributed, because like I said earlier, she has very specific sleep patterns, but she bounced herself right to sleep. It was so cute. She would nod off, then kinda wake up and automatically her legs would start bouncing again and that would lull her back to sleep. Hasn't happened since. I've tried.



And this is her favorite thing in the world (and mine). A clean fresh sweet smelling baby in her footy pajamas ready to go to bed. In her left hand is Milky Love, a cow thing Susan bought her in the hospital. She holds onto him when she's nursing. When she finishes (if she is still awake) she chews on his ears and horns while I read until she's asleep. Heaven.