Our sweet, wonderful baby rolled over for the first time today! She went from her back to her tummy, to her back, to her tummy...and so on. She really seemed to be enjoying herself. I had my gchat open with Casey and I immediately told him what had happened. He said he was sorry he missed it and he hopes she does it again soon. I told him not to worry because I took a video of it! Woohoo! Here it is:
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Reading/Art Room
I stumbled across this post the other day: http://www.thesleepytimegal.com/the-room/ and I seriously love the idea. I can't wait to create a wonderful reading/art room for my baby. Granted, she isn't nearly old enough so I have a lot of time. How great would it be to have a space dedicated just for her little imagination to grow? Filled with crayons, paper, pillows, and books. Awwww...I can't wait.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
My Type of Mothering
It's interesting for me to think about the type of mother that I am so far. While pregnant, when I would be asked what my plans were in regards to x, y, or z, I really didn't have an answer. I wanted to feel things out and see what felt right. Even in regards to whether or not I would breastfeed, I really had no idea and I didn't give it any prior thought. I did have one well-defined intention in parenting though that Casey and I discussed a bit. That was to do our best to anticipate Elle's needs before she knew she had them. Meaning, feed her before she felt a hunger pang. Put her to sleep before she felt the discomfort of tiredness. Change her diaper before it started to itch. More or less, our goal was to learn our baby and her cues to the best of our ability and be on her beck and call. I felt pretty strongly about this. Longterm, I'm under the impression that it helps build empathy in children. And by under the impression, I mean that this is an Eastern practice and is well-researched. You know, I really do think we've done a pretty good job with this. Casey and I certainly tried. What I didn't want was her to wail while we tried changing her diaper, rocking her, feeding her, putting her in her bouncer, and everything else you can attempt to soothe an infant. That idea seemed so clumsy and stressful to me. Otherwise, I read "The Happiest Baby on the Block" in my last week of pregnancy and was pretty sold on the notion of the 4th trimester and with that comes a lot of physical contact, nursing, swaddling, and white noise.
Which brings me to my next point. I have a confession. Casey and I have been co-sleeping with Elle. This was something I had previously dismissed. We did it out of need one night because we knew the dogs would be barking up a storm late at night when Grandma Chris came over and we didn't want to wake up Elle. Again, I find ourselves doing things out of anticipation! It was just so much easier. Instead of straining my eyes staring at the monitor, or waking up in a panic because she was no longer in the camera's view because she had scooted her little diapered tush down her crib, I had my baby within an arm's reach and I could sooth her back to sleep without truly waking up. How blissful. We began with bringing her into our bed when she awoke at 4:00 so we could get a few more hours of sleep. More recently, we have been putting her to bed in our room at 6:00 and joining her a few hours lately. I really didn't think this was for us but it turns out, it is. Parenting is so much about doing what's right for you, your partner, and your child and there is no one-size fits all.
So what type of mother am I? I am a: co-sleeping, exclusive-breastfeeding, baby-wearing, swaddling, need-anticipating mother. I never knew I'd be so crunchy (read: granola) but that's how things turned out. And whether I like it or not, I am still pretty clumsy :)
Which brings me to my next point. I have a confession. Casey and I have been co-sleeping with Elle. This was something I had previously dismissed. We did it out of need one night because we knew the dogs would be barking up a storm late at night when Grandma Chris came over and we didn't want to wake up Elle. Again, I find ourselves doing things out of anticipation! It was just so much easier. Instead of straining my eyes staring at the monitor, or waking up in a panic because she was no longer in the camera's view because she had scooted her little diapered tush down her crib, I had my baby within an arm's reach and I could sooth her back to sleep without truly waking up. How blissful. We began with bringing her into our bed when she awoke at 4:00 so we could get a few more hours of sleep. More recently, we have been putting her to bed in our room at 6:00 and joining her a few hours lately. I really didn't think this was for us but it turns out, it is. Parenting is so much about doing what's right for you, your partner, and your child and there is no one-size fits all.
So what type of mother am I? I am a: co-sleeping, exclusive-breastfeeding, baby-wearing, swaddling, need-anticipating mother. I never knew I'd be so crunchy (read: granola) but that's how things turned out. And whether I like it or not, I am still pretty clumsy :)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Elle's new hat
I just ordered a new baby-wearing device online and I absolutely can't wait for it to come! I love wearing Elle :) We have a wrap and a Bjorn and I'm excited to try something new. It's a ring sling by Sakura Bloom. I saw a cheap sling at Target and I almost got it but I wasn't crazy about the color. So I did some online research and decided that I may as well invest in a nice one. Especially since we plan on having another baby in the future. It's crazy how expensive these slings got! The highest priced ones by Sakura Bloom were going for $540. What!? Needless to say, I got their cheapest and most basic model. I really can't wait for it to come and start wearing Elle around more. A lot of people in the reviews say they wear their baby in the sling instead of pushing them around in the stroller when they're out and about. As long as it's ergonomic, I really like that idea.
It is raining SO hard outside right now. The rains are supposed to continue tomorrow which means I will be stuck inside with the baby. I ran out to the grocery store alone this evening because I had a bit of cabin fever and got completely soaked. Elle has been fussier than normal these past few days and it feels so foreign. Casey and I literally don't know what to do when she's crying like that. We just haven't had to deal with it. When she was a newborn, whenever she made a peep, I'd feed her and thus, we had a hearty and happy baby. That trick definitely doesn't work anymore. Yesterday was a bit of a disaster. I tried putting her down for a nap an hour after she woke up and she was crying so hard that Casey and I decided to go on a walk with her. She fell asleep in the Bjorn near the tail-end and slept for a little bit. After that, she more or less cried the entire day and didn't nap at all except for a 2.5 hour stretch in the afternoon. Which may sound great but she needs frequent naps, not one long one. She was pretty difficult today too. What is going on with my sweet baby?
On another note, something I didn't know before I had a baby was HOW many diaper blow-outs they have. She has maybe 10 diaper blow-outs a week. And almost every single one happens while I'm nursing her. It's so terrible-- her back will get soaked with poop and it'll start smelling so awful but I have to let her finish. Poor baby. Poor mama. And poor papa because if he's home, he's cleaning her up.
Elle is loving her jumperoo these days. She didn't really know what to make of it at first but when I put her in it on Friday, she bounced around like crazy. It was the first time I had seen her do it and I almost started to cry it was so sweet and silly. Something about seeing her so mobile. I was able to get a quick video of it.
It is raining SO hard outside right now. The rains are supposed to continue tomorrow which means I will be stuck inside with the baby. I ran out to the grocery store alone this evening because I had a bit of cabin fever and got completely soaked. Elle has been fussier than normal these past few days and it feels so foreign. Casey and I literally don't know what to do when she's crying like that. We just haven't had to deal with it. When she was a newborn, whenever she made a peep, I'd feed her and thus, we had a hearty and happy baby. That trick definitely doesn't work anymore. Yesterday was a bit of a disaster. I tried putting her down for a nap an hour after she woke up and she was crying so hard that Casey and I decided to go on a walk with her. She fell asleep in the Bjorn near the tail-end and slept for a little bit. After that, she more or less cried the entire day and didn't nap at all except for a 2.5 hour stretch in the afternoon. Which may sound great but she needs frequent naps, not one long one. She was pretty difficult today too. What is going on with my sweet baby?
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| Cat Nap |
On another note, something I didn't know before I had a baby was HOW many diaper blow-outs they have. She has maybe 10 diaper blow-outs a week. And almost every single one happens while I'm nursing her. It's so terrible-- her back will get soaked with poop and it'll start smelling so awful but I have to let her finish. Poor baby. Poor mama. And poor papa because if he's home, he's cleaning her up.
Elle is loving her jumperoo these days. She didn't really know what to make of it at first but when I put her in it on Friday, she bounced around like crazy. It was the first time I had seen her do it and I almost started to cry it was so sweet and silly. Something about seeing her so mobile. I was able to get a quick video of it.
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| New hat! |
Friday, March 18, 2011
My Beautiful Baby
I can't believe how strong she is getting! I just took these during tummy time. Elle is so beautiful, if I do say so myself :)
Our Perfectly Proportional Baby
Elle had her 4-month wellness checkup this Wednesday. She now weighs 16 lbs 4 oz, is 26 inches long, and has a head circumference of 17 inches. She is in the 97th percentile for her age on all measures and "perfectly proportional" (or so says our Pediatrician). Woohoo! Making mama proud. It's crazy to think how much she has grown. She was 7 lbs 9 oz at birth and 20.5 inches so that puts her at a total gain of 8 lbs 11 oz and 5.5 inches. Looking at her newborn pictures is amazing. I really can't believe she was ever that small. I wish my memory of her that little could be burned into my brain forever. I guess that's what pictures are for :) She had more vaccinations at her appointment and she did pretty well. She was sleeping between Casey and I late Wednesday night and making a lot of noise and when I reached over, I was shocked by how hot she was. Our poor baby was burning up! From her head to her toes. It was the saddest thing. I did some quick googling and learned that fevers are good post-vaccine reactions and that it would pass so that put me at ease. Sure enough, she felt fine again after a few more hours of sleep.
I know I've said it before but Casey and I feel so incredibly lucky with Elle. She is an absolute joy and these past 16 weeks with her have been life-changing. Literally. Looking back, I can't believe she was ever this tiny:
In other news, my brain is fried. I don't know how Casey gets up and goes to work 5 days a week. I'm so exhausted the two days that I'm there that it physically hurts. He says that he's a good sleeper and it's easy for him to go back to sleep. I don't know. Yesterday morning I couldn't even remember the name of my grad school advisor when I was chatting with someone at work. And I couldn't remember the name of someone else that used to always be at my fingertips. Elle, what did you do to mama's brain?? I wish I could drink more coffee to perk me up a little more but alas, while I'm breastfeeding that's out of the question. Maybe yesterday was worse than usual because Elle woke more frequently Wednesday night and I didn't get enough of that good ol' deep sleep. Not good.
I know I've said it before but Casey and I feel so incredibly lucky with Elle. She is an absolute joy and these past 16 weeks with her have been life-changing. Literally. Looking back, I can't believe she was ever this tiny:
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| At 6 days old |
In other news, my brain is fried. I don't know how Casey gets up and goes to work 5 days a week. I'm so exhausted the two days that I'm there that it physically hurts. He says that he's a good sleeper and it's easy for him to go back to sleep. I don't know. Yesterday morning I couldn't even remember the name of my grad school advisor when I was chatting with someone at work. And I couldn't remember the name of someone else that used to always be at my fingertips. Elle, what did you do to mama's brain?? I wish I could drink more coffee to perk me up a little more but alas, while I'm breastfeeding that's out of the question. Maybe yesterday was worse than usual because Elle woke more frequently Wednesday night and I didn't get enough of that good ol' deep sleep. Not good.
Monday, March 14, 2011
An update
Our sweet Elle is 16 weeks old today. Time flies! She has her 4-month check-up on Wednesday and she'll have to get more shots. I'm definitely not looking forward to it. She did better than I expected last time...but she didn't have as strong of a need for undisturbed sleep at 8 weeks as she does now. I'm also excited for her to get weighed and measured! We attempt to weigh her at home (weigh ourselves holding her and not) and she has been around 16.5 for the past 3 weeks. She is currently wearing 6-9 months...although a lot of that has to do with her length!
What else is new in the world of Elle? Let's see...Elle's cradle cap is getting better (woohoo!) so I am happy about that. The pediatrician changed his note at 8 weeks from "mild" cradle cap to "moderate". I'm glad that it hasn't gotten worse. And I'm also glad that we were able to get it under control without filling the prescriptions he gave us. They were given as a "last ditch effort" in case the natural remedies didn't work. Something about putting chemicals on my sweet babies skin is really unnerving. Yuck! Elle is also getting a lot more vocal lately and does what Casey and I describe "yelling" when she gets really tired. It's basically very loud fussing :) Her smiles are extremely frequent and easy to provoke. I no longer have to work to get a smile! I can't wait until her giggles come that easy. She is also grasping things a lot better now and will hold things for quite some time. It's really cute seeing her hold onto her pacifier. She's been "beating me up" while I feed her too. She'll swat at my face with the hand she's not laying on and kick her legs like crazy. It's really funny to watch. Elle is also going bald! She has a Friar Tuck-esque mullet and the hair on top is a lot patchier than it was at birth. I've read that babies go through 2 hair growth cycles before age 1 so I'm wondering if I'll have a beautiful little egghead soon. I love bald babies! Grandma Chris brought over a jumperoo last week and it's been fun watching Elle sit in it. She'll still a little too small to jump around but she does get excited and bounce a little.
Without further ado, here are some recent photos of our sweet love:
What else is new in the world of Elle? Let's see...Elle's cradle cap is getting better (woohoo!) so I am happy about that. The pediatrician changed his note at 8 weeks from "mild" cradle cap to "moderate". I'm glad that it hasn't gotten worse. And I'm also glad that we were able to get it under control without filling the prescriptions he gave us. They were given as a "last ditch effort" in case the natural remedies didn't work. Something about putting chemicals on my sweet babies skin is really unnerving. Yuck! Elle is also getting a lot more vocal lately and does what Casey and I describe "yelling" when she gets really tired. It's basically very loud fussing :) Her smiles are extremely frequent and easy to provoke. I no longer have to work to get a smile! I can't wait until her giggles come that easy. She is also grasping things a lot better now and will hold things for quite some time. It's really cute seeing her hold onto her pacifier. She's been "beating me up" while I feed her too. She'll swat at my face with the hand she's not laying on and kick her legs like crazy. It's really funny to watch. Elle is also going bald! She has a Friar Tuck-esque mullet and the hair on top is a lot patchier than it was at birth. I've read that babies go through 2 hair growth cycles before age 1 so I'm wondering if I'll have a beautiful little egghead soon. I love bald babies! Grandma Chris brought over a jumperoo last week and it's been fun watching Elle sit in it. She'll still a little too small to jump around but she does get excited and bounce a little.
Without further ado, here are some recent photos of our sweet love:
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| First time in the Jumperoo |
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| Hanging out with my daddy |
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| New hair do |
Sunday, March 6, 2011
This is a Must Watch
I love Sundays. Casey and I can lounge around and enjoy our sweet little one in the early hours. For example...
Who wouldn't be happy getting up at 7:00 for that? We also took a stroll to Coffee Bean with Elle Belle in the Bjorn. I need to start wearing it with a burp cloth. She drooled ALL over. We decided during our walk that Elle has the "Basset Effect." Whenever we take our Basset Hounds on walks, we get so many smiles or laughs from neighbors because they are so silly looking. Elle got a lot of smiles today. I think the reason why speaks for itself!
Who wouldn't be happy getting up at 7:00 for that? We also took a stroll to Coffee Bean with Elle Belle in the Bjorn. I need to start wearing it with a burp cloth. She drooled ALL over. We decided during our walk that Elle has the "Basset Effect." Whenever we take our Basset Hounds on walks, we get so many smiles or laughs from neighbors because they are so silly looking. Elle got a lot of smiles today. I think the reason why speaks for itself!
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| Didn't quite make it home |
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Elle in her Bassinet: Then and Now
Remember about a month ago when I was bummed that Elle was too big for her bassinet and it was time to transition her to the crib? I finally took a shot of her in her bassinet now and I'm really glad that we chose to move her when we did...
Today marks the first day since Elle's birth where it's too hot to be in footie pajamas. Here is some cuteness from today in spring attire:
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| Elle at a day old |
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| Elle at 3.5 months |
Today marks the first day since Elle's birth where it's too hot to be in footie pajamas. Here is some cuteness from today in spring attire:
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Smiles
It's insane how a little smile from my beautiful baby girl fills me with so much happiness. Casey and I both are so enamored with her and she brings us so much joy. For example, the other day she was awake at 5:00 AM and we were trying to put her back to sleep when she started smiling and cooing up a storm. Casey and I got so excited and did our best to continue engaging her. It really made me happy that I was awake at that time and got those smiles from Elle versus sound asleep. When Casey is at work and I update him on what Elle is up to his response is always the same: "I love her." She is so special to us.
From the beginning, she has made us feel like great parents. I had a few clumsy weeks (say week 6 to...11) but finally feel pretty competent. This week especially has been really good and I feel like she is really blossoming. She was all smiles Monday and did not cry once. She napped frequently and was just a love. We read several books together and she cooed her adorable little head off. Today is another one of those days. She just makes me feel like I'm doing a great job at being her mommy. She also chuckled today and it was -so- stinking adorable. So far her laughs have been kind of...weird...like we know what she's trying to do but she hasn't quite figured it out yet. Today was a full, adorable chuckle. I cherish every second that I have with my peanut. Napwise, she is doing awesome! I put her down while she is still awake after an hour and half of being up and she puts herself to sleep for about 45 minutes. I am so thankful we never had to even consider letting her cry it out. I couldn't do that.
I haven't taken many pictures lately but I have been hoarding a few. Here they are...
From the beginning, she has made us feel like great parents. I had a few clumsy weeks (say week 6 to...11) but finally feel pretty competent. This week especially has been really good and I feel like she is really blossoming. She was all smiles Monday and did not cry once. She napped frequently and was just a love. We read several books together and she cooed her adorable little head off. Today is another one of those days. She just makes me feel like I'm doing a great job at being her mommy. She also chuckled today and it was -so- stinking adorable. So far her laughs have been kind of...weird...like we know what she's trying to do but she hasn't quite figured it out yet. Today was a full, adorable chuckle. I cherish every second that I have with my peanut. Napwise, she is doing awesome! I put her down while she is still awake after an hour and half of being up and she puts herself to sleep for about 45 minutes. I am so thankful we never had to even consider letting her cry it out. I couldn't do that.
I haven't taken many pictures lately but I have been hoarding a few. Here they are...
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| Daddy and Elle |
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| Sup? |
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| Yummy Hand |
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| Still a little baby |
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| Elle's outgrown clothing |
Elle and Miss Piggy
I'm getting bad at this. Needless to say, I've been busy trying to balance work, home, and family. Here is a little video from Sunday...
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