What's keeping me going right now (it gets really cute around 1:10):
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| Daddy with his big girl on Father's Day |
Monday, June 27, 2011
Busy at the Thormahlen Household
Busy, busy, busy over here. I am itchy from cardboard and drywall right now and need to shower. Why? After 4 years in Santa Barbara and 3 in Los Angeles, Casey and I (and Elle and the Bassets) are moving back to Orange County. Casey received an offer from Pimco last Wednesday and we are in progress of packing up and will be officially living down there the weekend of July 15th. Yes, less than 3 weeks from now. So many mixed feelings but above everything else, I could not be more proud of my husband. The HR personnel told him that his offer is comparable to what they just gave a recent MBA grad. Baller!
What's keeping me going right now (it gets really cute around 1:10):
What's keeping me going right now (it gets really cute around 1:10):
Monday, June 13, 2011
Mother's Day Recap
Elle will be 7 months old next Wednesday. This little fact makes me so sad! I miss my little baby. I still can't believe Casey and I created her and I gave birth to her. I know I posted a week ago that we had reached a milestone and she had slept through the night. Well, she has done well since then but not *as well*. In the past week, she has woken up at 3 AM twice (and then 6ish) and 5 AM the other days. When she wakes up at 5, we try really hard to get her to go back to sleep. It's too early, Elle! I've also been working on weaning her these past couple weeks. She went on a nursing strike in Almanor and I decided to use that as a springboard instead of going through the engorgement pain again. I'm really sad about it but i'm getting more used to it now. It seems weird to me but it really doesn't seem like she noticed. I wonder if the weaning has something to do with her sleeping through the night as she isn't waking up to nurse anymore. It could also be age.
Well, with Father's Day just around the corner I figured it was time for a very late Mother's Day recap. Mother's Day was really low key. We knew we were going down to Orange County on Sunday so I told Casey I wanted to do something special on Saturday instead. Casey came home from work on Friday with the most gorgeous white lilies. My favorite! I absolutely love lilies...they're so beautiful and smell good too :) Both Elle and Casey wrote me a sweet card. Casey had scheduled me a massage for Saturday morning at a local spa but I really just wanted to spend the day with my husband and baby so I asked him to cancel. We went down to OC on Sunday and went to my parent's house first around 11:30 and then Casey's around 3:00. We had intended to get to Casey's parent's house earlier but we spent 12:30-3 trying to get Elle to nap. I think she finally went down around 2 after a lot of crying. Like I said, sometimes it's really easy and sometimes it's a huge struggle. My sister and her fiance whipped up brunch and it was delicious! My older brother and his new girlfriend, Selena, were also there. She is beautiful and seems sweet. Here are some pics...I wish I had thought of taking a pic of Elle and I together on my first mother's day. Next time!
Well, that's about it! Maybe if Elle gives me another good nap today I'll do an Easter recap. Otherwise, I plan on working on Casey's father's day gift a bit more today and will probably take Elle on a nice, long walk.
Well, with Father's Day just around the corner I figured it was time for a very late Mother's Day recap. Mother's Day was really low key. We knew we were going down to Orange County on Sunday so I told Casey I wanted to do something special on Saturday instead. Casey came home from work on Friday with the most gorgeous white lilies. My favorite! I absolutely love lilies...they're so beautiful and smell good too :) Both Elle and Casey wrote me a sweet card. Casey had scheduled me a massage for Saturday morning at a local spa but I really just wanted to spend the day with my husband and baby so I asked him to cancel. We went down to OC on Sunday and went to my parent's house first around 11:30 and then Casey's around 3:00. We had intended to get to Casey's parent's house earlier but we spent 12:30-3 trying to get Elle to nap. I think she finally went down around 2 after a lot of crying. Like I said, sometimes it's really easy and sometimes it's a huge struggle. My sister and her fiance whipped up brunch and it was delicious! My older brother and his new girlfriend, Selena, were also there. She is beautiful and seems sweet. Here are some pics...I wish I had thought of taking a pic of Elle and I together on my first mother's day. Next time!
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| Elle with her Babcia |
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| Cuddling |
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| Posing by the roses with Babcia and Selena |
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| The flowers we got Babcia |
Well, that's about it! Maybe if Elle gives me another good nap today I'll do an Easter recap. Otherwise, I plan on working on Casey's father's day gift a bit more today and will probably take Elle on a nice, long walk.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
A Milestone!
Elle didn't wake up once last night! That's right--she slept through the night for the first time. She went down at 6:30 PM and was awake and kicking me at 6:00 AM. 11 and a half hours of straight, solid sleep.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Evolution of Poop
Casey here, reporting that this weekend we came to the last major crossroads in the development of Elle's poop. I know, this is gross and she will probably be embarrassed about this someday. But the story must be told, because it has been a long lesson in the colors of the rainbow and the evolution of poop. I'll start from the beginning and end with the final stage this weekend.
The early days
Not long after birth, Elle, like all babies, made her first poop. Everyone, including you, emitted this tarry, sticky, black fluid spiderweb of poop all of her cheeks in her first hours out of the womb. While visually frightening, Elle's meconium didn't smell at all...soon after going home, I would miss opening her diaper and only finding that tarry black scat.
I lovingly describe the next poo form as orange cottage cheese. This was her first smelly poo stage, and I can say that with authority because I got up close and personal every day. On the first day home from the hospital I got closer than I ever wanted to. Early on, Ania would help with diaper changes by holding Elle's legs in the air while I wiped the baby's bottom, swapped in the new diaper, and applied diaper cream. On day 1, I was in the process of changing one of Elle's orange diapers, with Ania holding Elle's legs up; at this moment, I like to think Elle said READY, AIM, FIRE!! Elle farted, with the bullseye looking me right in the face. A cannon shot stinky orange cottage cheese all over my face, shoulders, and hands. I will never forget the smell, but I sucked it up and quickly wiped myself, without breathing in, and finished changing her diaper. I'm not sure I've ever heard Ania laugh so hard.
Elle's third poo form came in week 2. I think the change had something to do with the breast milk, but Elle's poo changed from the previous orange cottage cheese to greenish cottage cheese. This was the stinkiest yet, but thankfully it only lasted a week or 2. For another few weeks her poo returned to its orange color, with no change in stink. Before I knew it, she migrated from the weird loose cottage cheese to something more recognizable as poop, albiet sticky and viscous. Elle's poo stabilized in this viscous stage, though it changed to a more green-brown color.
Within the last month, Elle's poo started to change again as we began introducing formula into her diet. Color and texture remained almost the same, but it became 100x stinkier. For the first time as a parent, I felt the need to plug my nose when I opened a soiled diaper. Little did I know that our little girl would soon make her biggest defecation transition yet. At the 6 month mark, we started introducing solid food to Elle. It started with avocado, some pear and oranges, then on to sweet potatoe, squash, and rice cereal.
After 2 weeks of solids, this weekend Elle began pooping logs, just like grown ups. It's a shocking change really. Before, the only notice you had that Elle pooped was the sound of grunting, followed by eerie silence, a wafting odor, and finally a very satisfied Elle, who usually returned to playing with a toy. That changed this weekend. Now when Elle needs to poop, you see her grunting, bearing down and watch her face turn beet red until she hyperventilates and starts wailing. It's soooo sad but hilarious at the same time. I pick her up and hug her while encouraging her and telling her how proud I am. I can't believe it, but the product of all of this commotion, while small, is the smelliest yet. Oh the joys of parenthood.
Well, I welcome Elle into her first baby steps into adult kupa, but I'm a little sad to see her mature so fast. The rewards are great though, she is more talkative and charming than ever, and best yet, she loves to dance silly with her Dad.
Until next time,
Casey
A Developmental Update
I wonder if I've done Elle's development justice with this blog. So much has happened in these past couple of months. Little things like her social engagement and her grasping objects have gradually improved each day. There are night and day differences with those aforementioned between now and, say, March but it's been so gradual that it's hard to blog about. I think i'm due for a development update.
On Feeding...
Feeding Elle solids was something I was really excited about. I originally intended on pureeing my own baby foods and bought a Beaba to do so. Well, the Beaba was returned yesterday and a trip to Whole Foods was made for the organic jarred stuff. The Beaba sat unopened on our kitchen counter for about 2 weeks before I decided to ditch it. It's an expensive gadget and I didn't want to play with it and then decide I didn't want it. As soon as I read the instruction manual, my reservations set in. This was supposed to be fun and not stressful. The bottom line is that this was something that I would have been solely responsible for and I just didn't feel like I'm organized enough right now. A year ago, absolutely. And if you're wondering about the baby lead weaning approach I mentioned below, while I think it's fascinating I'm too paranoid to do something like that. We will definitely give her chunks of solid fruits and vegetables if they seem appropriate but as an exclusive approach, definitely not. And I will be making some food over the weekends as a fun treat the old fashioned way (steamer and food processor). Everything in moderation, people.
On Mobility...
Elle started rolling over at 4 months from her back to her tummy. While she occasionally rolled over from her stomach to her back, it was a rarity. More often than not, she would roll onto her stomach and then do we Casey and I affectionately called "shrieking 360s". Basically, she'd pivot in circles on her stomach, yelling all the way. It was really frustrating and hard for her. Over the past month, her push-ups on her tummy have gotten stronger and she's trying really hard to tuck her knees under. She is really close and for awhile, I thought she would be crawling by 7 months. Now I'm not so sure. The reason is because she discovered another form of locomotion that she is STOKED about. Just this past Wednesday, she started doing several rolls at once. Back to tummy, tummy to back, back to tummy and is moving a few feets at a time. Pair that with her well-practiced "shrieking 360s" (minus the shrieks now) and she is able to go in any direction she wants.
On Sleeping...
Sleep is something that both Casey and I take very seriously with Elle. Not only would she be more difficult if she weren't well-rested, but she wouldn't be in an optimal state for learning about our beautiful world. Putting Elle to sleep was a struggle for a bit both during the day and at night. Sometimes it went well and was easy. And when it took time, sometimes she was so tired she was wired and sometimes she was so tired, she passed out. When it was hard, it was really, really hard. While she still was getting enough sleep throughout the day (due to our perseverance), it was time-consuming and also really sad seeing Elle struggle with falling asleep when she was obviously tired. So what did we do? I tried to take her perspective. Here we are playing one minute, and the next, she is being carried to bed, laid down, and expected to pass out because she's a little tired. There was no transition. Casey and I talked about it, and after a few revelations here and there, we formed a routine for her naps. We now carry her into our room, put her in her sleep sack, turn on the white noise, lay her down on her back, and give her a bottle. If she's just eaten, we make just 2 oz. Once she finishes it, we sit her up so she's sitting by herself, and wait for her to burp. Usually at this point, her head is slumped forward and she's burying her face in the burp cloth. Then we lay her back down, and read "Goodnight Moon" and watch her eyelids droop. That's it. No more struggle.
More often than not, she sleeps about 11 hours during the night (with only 1 wake-up at about 3:00 AM). Her wake-up time is getting earlier and earlier (between 5:00 and 6:00 AM) and it's really freaking Casey and I out. 5:00 AM is too early, Elle! I think she is waking up earlier because 1) it's lighter outside earlier, and 2) we are still co-sleeping. I've read that co-sleeping babies will begin to wake up earlier as they get older because they get excited about your presence and want to play. Sigh, it is time for an eviction. Casey and I have been slowly preparing to move her to her room. We bought black-out curtains, we rearranged the furniture in her room so she's no longer able to reach the curtains, and we lowered her mattress. We still need to install the video monitor above her crib and...have a game-plan. Casey and I are both reading a new sleep book now and slowly forming a plan. This is getting long. I should have made a post just about sleeping!
So happy it's still the weekend. Casey and I are going to bundle up the babe and take her to the park in a bit.
On Feeding...
Feeding Elle solids was something I was really excited about. I originally intended on pureeing my own baby foods and bought a Beaba to do so. Well, the Beaba was returned yesterday and a trip to Whole Foods was made for the organic jarred stuff. The Beaba sat unopened on our kitchen counter for about 2 weeks before I decided to ditch it. It's an expensive gadget and I didn't want to play with it and then decide I didn't want it. As soon as I read the instruction manual, my reservations set in. This was supposed to be fun and not stressful. The bottom line is that this was something that I would have been solely responsible for and I just didn't feel like I'm organized enough right now. A year ago, absolutely. And if you're wondering about the baby lead weaning approach I mentioned below, while I think it's fascinating I'm too paranoid to do something like that. We will definitely give her chunks of solid fruits and vegetables if they seem appropriate but as an exclusive approach, definitely not. And I will be making some food over the weekends as a fun treat the old fashioned way (steamer and food processor). Everything in moderation, people.
On Mobility...
Elle started rolling over at 4 months from her back to her tummy. While she occasionally rolled over from her stomach to her back, it was a rarity. More often than not, she would roll onto her stomach and then do we Casey and I affectionately called "shrieking 360s". Basically, she'd pivot in circles on her stomach, yelling all the way. It was really frustrating and hard for her. Over the past month, her push-ups on her tummy have gotten stronger and she's trying really hard to tuck her knees under. She is really close and for awhile, I thought she would be crawling by 7 months. Now I'm not so sure. The reason is because she discovered another form of locomotion that she is STOKED about. Just this past Wednesday, she started doing several rolls at once. Back to tummy, tummy to back, back to tummy and is moving a few feets at a time. Pair that with her well-practiced "shrieking 360s" (minus the shrieks now) and she is able to go in any direction she wants.
On Sleeping...
Sleep is something that both Casey and I take very seriously with Elle. Not only would she be more difficult if she weren't well-rested, but she wouldn't be in an optimal state for learning about our beautiful world. Putting Elle to sleep was a struggle for a bit both during the day and at night. Sometimes it went well and was easy. And when it took time, sometimes she was so tired she was wired and sometimes she was so tired, she passed out. When it was hard, it was really, really hard. While she still was getting enough sleep throughout the day (due to our perseverance), it was time-consuming and also really sad seeing Elle struggle with falling asleep when she was obviously tired. So what did we do? I tried to take her perspective. Here we are playing one minute, and the next, she is being carried to bed, laid down, and expected to pass out because she's a little tired. There was no transition. Casey and I talked about it, and after a few revelations here and there, we formed a routine for her naps. We now carry her into our room, put her in her sleep sack, turn on the white noise, lay her down on her back, and give her a bottle. If she's just eaten, we make just 2 oz. Once she finishes it, we sit her up so she's sitting by herself, and wait for her to burp. Usually at this point, her head is slumped forward and she's burying her face in the burp cloth. Then we lay her back down, and read "Goodnight Moon" and watch her eyelids droop. That's it. No more struggle.
More often than not, she sleeps about 11 hours during the night (with only 1 wake-up at about 3:00 AM). Her wake-up time is getting earlier and earlier (between 5:00 and 6:00 AM) and it's really freaking Casey and I out. 5:00 AM is too early, Elle! I think she is waking up earlier because 1) it's lighter outside earlier, and 2) we are still co-sleeping. I've read that co-sleeping babies will begin to wake up earlier as they get older because they get excited about your presence and want to play. Sigh, it is time for an eviction. Casey and I have been slowly preparing to move her to her room. We bought black-out curtains, we rearranged the furniture in her room so she's no longer able to reach the curtains, and we lowered her mattress. We still need to install the video monitor above her crib and...have a game-plan. Casey and I are both reading a new sleep book now and slowly forming a plan. This is getting long. I should have made a post just about sleeping!
So happy it's still the weekend. Casey and I are going to bundle up the babe and take her to the park in a bit.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Memorial Day Weekend
Casey, Elle, and I flew up to Lake Almanor for Memorial Day weekend. It was Elle's first time there! Our sweet baby is always impressing me. She's such a great traveler! We had a lot of turbulence on the way up and couldn't land in Chester because the visibility was poor. We ended up landing in Redding and making the 2-hour drive to the lake house. Elle took a nap on my legs on the plane. It was so cute/funny. She was getting a little fussy and I knew she was tired but wasn't sure how well she'd go down in her car seat. I was swaying her on my legs just for fun at first and when I noticed her eyes start to shut and her limbs go limp, I knew we were golden. Here is a little video Casey took with his iPhone of Elle awkwardly sleeping on her mama:
Boy was it chilly! It snowed a bit while we were there but didn't stick. I got a ton of great shots of Elle (who else?) while we were there...
Boy was it chilly! It snowed a bit while we were there but didn't stick. I got a ton of great shots of Elle (who else?) while we were there...
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| Playing with daddy after a long morning of traveling |
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| Bundled up with Grandma Chris |
Casey took one of my favorite shots of Elle eating so far. She had sweet potato while we were there. She also tried some watermelon and her Aunt Annie shared peach with her (which was hilarious to watch). Elle put her mouth on the peach and wouldn't let go. She attacked it! Panting all the way. Sweet angel.
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| Excited for her sweet potato |
I also got some of my favorite shots ever of Elle with her daddy. Don't be deceived by Casey's T-shirt in the first pic. It really was cold enough to warrant the extra bundling that Elle is sporting. In fact, the cold weather chapped her cheeks a bit. See her right cheek in the second pic below where she's riding KC the dog?
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| Daddy with his Glow Worm |
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| Giddy Up! |
Now onto my absolute favorite photo ever. This was right before we left Lake Almanor. We tried to put Elle down for a nap at about 11:30 but she was being hard and we knew we were leaving in about an hour so we decided to hold off since she reliably passes out in the car. She got really tired in the last 10 minutes or so before we left. Usually she gets fussy when she's tired and pushes you away. Not this time. She went into full on heartwarming cuddle mode. Love my girl.
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| Sigh. So stinking cute. |
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| Beautiful angel |
We drove to Redding from there and Elle slept during the entire 2 hour trip. She woke up a few times with red-brimmed eyes but went right back to sleep. We then flew to Ukiah to visit Elle's great grandmother. The plane ride was really shaky and I was honestly scared. It was hard to keep my face smiling and excited for Elle since I was facing her.
Elle's great grandmother Marian was so excited to see her! It's so special to Casey and I that our sweet baby brings our family so much joy. I took a ton of pics but here are a few highlights.
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| Smacking daddy in the face with Sophie |
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| Being silly with daddy! |
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