Daddy Flying Solo

Next week we are going to Chicago, but we are going in two stages. Daddy P and Kate come up a few days after I go. I have been charged with the task of carrying most of what we will need for the weekend away so that Daddy P can just lug on a carry-on, Kate, stroller and carseat, and whatever else he chooses. Packing this weekend is going to be a trip in and of itself I think! This is only our second flight with Kate, and I'm glad that Daddy P is the one managing her. He has a much cooler, calmer head, and seems fairly unaffected by traveling with the ity bity one.

In the meantime, we are planning on getting Kate used to her new portable "crib" which is really more of a tent. I have started putting her in it when she's awake just to get used to it, and tomorrow we shall start putting her in it for naps. I figure I'd rather risk ruining a nap than a whole night sleep, so we'll start small. I'm sure she'll be fine as long as she has her beloved horsey with her.

Standing Tall

In just the few short weeks that we've had Kate's jumper, she can already touch firmly with both feet. And now she bounces all over like crazy.

T = 4

Not much new on the hair front...



After a crazy week of getting up at odd hours, some seriously unhappy tummy problems (thanks to my soy consumption), Kate slept through the night and we are feeling better. Until this whole breastfeeding thing, I always thought soy was great. All the milk bashers always said how soy gives you the same protein, is better for you, yada yada. Well, after Kate (and I) had digestive problems from starting to substitute soy, I was sure it was a fluke. But time and time again, when I add soy back in, it wrecks havoc on everything. A google search provided me with reassurance that I am not alone, and that soy isn't the miracle that Whole Foods would make us think it is... we are going to try adding some milk back in to my diet this week and see how it goes. At least enough for a latte here and there...

Daddy Mac'l Make Ya!

What, you ask, makes a baby laugh? Well, apparently bad 80's references does it for baby Kate. She has an infantile sense of humor, what can I say...

Opera singer, writer, or just complainer?

Not sure what Kate will be when she grows up, but damn that girl is already expressive. Here she is this morning when I was a little slower than usual in getting around to feeding her...

Hair or just an Heir?

This week we begin a series called, "Is Kate's Hair Growing?" It is much debated in our household, so we decided to put the matter to rest once and for all. Ladies and Gentlemen, exhibit one:

I'm not the only one.

Proof here.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

I thought we could use a little something different for our page now that we're growing up. And this was all I could muster in 10 minutes, so it's what you get.

I have a bone to pick with these sleep books they write. My advice for any of you reading this who are planning on one day having children. DON'T READ A SLEEP BOOK. They make you crazy. They do. First of all, they make you think that naps are crucial to the happiness of the family. For some reason, this mantra has totally seeped into my brain and ruined my mind. Kate, on the other hand, doesn't always believe this mantra.



"Did you say... 'nap'??"

This week, I have been working on getting her to a regular afternoon nap time so that I have a dependable block of time I can work during. It worked great on Monday... on Tuesday... on Wednesday... and today, because she took a 15 minute nap on Grandma, she decided the afternoon nap was out. Well, if she'd just TOLD me that this was the case I wouldn't have spent two excruciating hours trying to make her take her nap. We were both grumpy and exhausted by the end. And, when my family gets grumpy and exhausted (but won't nap) I do what I always do and find something fun to perk us up. (Of course, it would have been wise to do this after the first half hour, but I am stubborn, and obviously did not learn my lesson from earlier this week: Kate will always win.) So we played for forty-five minutes, until her next meal time. Then she promptly fell asleep mid-meal and no amount of rousing to finish would work.

Kate Mandated Support

If there are any boys who actually read this blog, you might want to skip this entry. Here's a picture for you instead (Caption: Kate wakes up pretty happy these days, and hauls her horsey over here when she falls asleep and when she wakes up).



But anyway... girls... before our little treasure, I was able to buy a sports bra at Target and hit the pavement with no problem. Now, suddenly, that is not okay. After a couple weeks of trying it, I realized that investing in a good bra is cheaper than plastic surgery, so off I went. After a friend recommended hitting a running store for a bra, I spent a day getting up the courage to do it, and then headed off to face perky and shapely saleswomen and expensive designer exercise clothes. I went to Bettysport, which I almost immediately fell in love with. Yes, the women were in shape (the saleslady who waited on me had just gotten in from a workout but helped me before hitting the showers), and the clothes were fancy pricey niceness, but it was such a warm and friendly atmosphere I could not resist it! The saleswoman took stock of my situation (Activity? Running, okay... Breastfeeding? You are? Okay, no underwires. Size? Okay, I'll get you an assortment.) and stocked the fitting room with a nicely laid out array of options. Baby Kate and I browsed while she arranged.

The fitting room itself was something. Large enough to do jumping jacks in, with a thick pad on the floor for doing just that or running in place. There was also (now, explain this to me, please) a sign stating that they have disposable underwear available if you don't have any with you and indeed, under a small side table was a basket of new, in-the-package disposable underwear. I'm not really clear on this problem, as I must say I've never arrived to try on clothes without underwear, but it might indicate that I am not really an athlete...? My best guess is that if you biked to the store then you might not have any on, but, I don't really want to think about that either.

I emerged 10 minutes later from the shop with a happy baby on my arm, and my wallet significantly lighter due to my spanking new totally awesome sports bra. I never knew what support was until I truly found it! (and, well, until I needed it...!)

A Recipe

Made some homemade granola bars the other day in our attempt to eat healthier (and my attempt to lose Kate's 9 months of padding). They turned out to be very tasty and it was just kinda nice to know exactly what I am munching on. This is hopefully the precursor to homemade baby food. Optimism abounds...

If you want to try it out, here's what we did:



Homemade Granola bars:

- 2 cups Muesli (or... 2 cups oats, 3/4 c sunflower seeds, 3/4 c wheat germ, 1/4 c ground flax seeds, and 1 c dried fruit)
- 1 c crushed or sliced nuts (I used sliced Almonds -- gotta love Costco)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 c honey (you can also use maple syrup!)
- 2 eggs
- brown sugar (I used about 1/8 c, but adjust to your taste)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 9" x 13" pan with aluminum foil and then spray the foil.
2. In a sauce pan, combine honey, salt, vanilla until honey has thinned.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs and dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix.
4. Put in pan and PRESS DOWN. A spatula sprayed with cooking spray can help you get it all nice and compact. Then bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Cool completely on a cutting board before cutting into bars.

Darn shots

I have learned after 4 months of knowing Kate that shots make her cranky, cryey, uncomfortable, and just plain fussy for two days at least. So what is it that I was thinking when I decided to take her to a restaurant for lunch with my parents? Uh not thinking. That's what parenthood does to your brain. You get so desperate to leave the house that you stop thinking. Kate and I left lunch early. She fell asleep in the car on the way home and happily slept in her room proving that a) I shouldn't interrupt her nap to take her out to lunch, and b) that she will always win.

4 Month Update

Baby Kate's stats for the month:

14 lbs. 3 oz. (about 70th percentile)
23 3/4 in. (50th percentile)
head is about 10th percentile

The doctor confirmed that she is drooling, rolling over, and standing ahead of schedule. She's one tough little cookie. Other good news: he upped her GERD medicine since she weighs more, which is AWESOME because the past two weeks we have been living like we did before we started the medicine: tons of spitting up, in pain while eating (twisting, turning) and after (trying to get her burps out without any luck). Hopefully this will put us on a good eating plan...

Since she's gaining weight so well, the doctor said that if she's not taking a bottle (which she still isn't...) that we can just skip feedings until she does. Sounds tortuous to me but it might take that...

He also is encouraging us to start her on solid food. I have been dreading this because of the extra work and mess involved. But he thinks it will help with her GERD and just get her adjusting to her new life as a big girl. I think we agreed to give it a couple more weeks until she can sit in her Bumbo with more stability so that it will be easier to feed her. This is really just me rationalizing why I don't have to start buying/preparing/cleaning up rice cereal and the like.

One Legged Bouncer

I bought a jumper for the baby. Because, a short swing, a tall swing, a bouncer, and a Bumbo do not provide enough seating options for one baby. She seems to like it. She can't touch the floor with both feet, so she does her best with only one foot touching...

4 month picture

Stats to come after the dr. visit on Thursday...!

Everything to the Mouth

Kate is perfecting her hand to mouth coordination. This week she has stopped babbling altogether because her mouth is always otherwise occupied...