Kate is really getting the hang of the whole eating thing. She actually looks hungry when she eats now which means, well, she's figured out it's food.
Now that she's almost 6 months and her tummy is growing up, we stopped her acid reflux meds without any big to-do. Couldn't even tell she wasn't on them anymore. And, I've had the occasional serving of cheese without notice. Next up, beans! We'll see how it goes! I'm excited to get to start to resume my normal diet.
While I'm excited she's getting big and can eat sitting up, the whole other end of things is just gross. Her normal non-smelly poops are gone and in their place is a bunch of solid nastiness. I know you were just dying to hear that. But I was so used to not noticing if she pooped that it was a little startling to smell the thing from a mile away. All part of growing up I guess...
The good news is that good naps also seem to be part of growing up. She went down for two long naps today without me doing anything besides sitting beside her as she fell asleep. Tomorrow I might be daring and try to let her fall asleep alone!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Follow up on naptime
Today went okay. Shorter, but harder. She hung out in her crib for 5 minutes, then cried for 7 and suddenly stopped and went to sleep. To be continued...
Making friends
Kate hung out with her new friend Eleanor this week (Mamacita's friend's daughter) who is two months older than she is. They mostly just gazed at each other and occasionally tried to touch each other.
This week Kate has been "learning" to fall asleep in her crib. Kate's really good at falling asleep while eating and then being put in her crib. She can even wake up and then fall back asleep with no problem. But, as the day of weaning approaches, I would like to know it will be easy to stick her in the crib and let her drift off to dreamland.
The first three days went pretty well. Day 1 consisted of me feeding her, reading her a book, and singing to her then putting her in her crib. I sat next to her with my hand on her. She talked for about 30 minutes, then whined for another 10, then cried for 5, then whined for another 3, then fell asleep. Day 2 the process was the same except I brought a book to read while I sat there and Kate shorted the routine to 30 minutes. Day 3 she took it down to 25 minutes.
And then... I got too ambitious and decided to add on the challenge of falling asleep at Grandma and Grandpa's house. That was just a plain disaster. She wouldn't sleep in any way -- on her own, bouncing her, nursing her, whatever. She got so frustrated by having to take a nap instead of playing that she melted down. I haven't heard her cry like that in two months. But finally, FINALLY, she down. Emotionally control is hard enough for adults. It's a hard thing to teach a baby!
So we're back to trying at home for this week with no other demands on the baby but playing and learning to nap. Hopefully we'll pick up today where we left off, but I'm not optimistic.
This week Kate has been "learning" to fall asleep in her crib. Kate's really good at falling asleep while eating and then being put in her crib. She can even wake up and then fall back asleep with no problem. But, as the day of weaning approaches, I would like to know it will be easy to stick her in the crib and let her drift off to dreamland.
The first three days went pretty well. Day 1 consisted of me feeding her, reading her a book, and singing to her then putting her in her crib. I sat next to her with my hand on her. She talked for about 30 minutes, then whined for another 10, then cried for 5, then whined for another 3, then fell asleep. Day 2 the process was the same except I brought a book to read while I sat there and Kate shorted the routine to 30 minutes. Day 3 she took it down to 25 minutes.
And then... I got too ambitious and decided to add on the challenge of falling asleep at Grandma and Grandpa's house. That was just a plain disaster. She wouldn't sleep in any way -- on her own, bouncing her, nursing her, whatever. She got so frustrated by having to take a nap instead of playing that she melted down. I haven't heard her cry like that in two months. But finally, FINALLY, she down. Emotionally control is hard enough for adults. It's a hard thing to teach a baby!
So we're back to trying at home for this week with no other demands on the baby but playing and learning to nap. Hopefully we'll pick up today where we left off, but I'm not optimistic.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
About Face
Kate is getting tired of looking up. That's about the only place she can look when she's in her carseat either in a stroller or a shopping cart. I've started carrying her in a sling into stores so she can sit up and look around. On walks, however, I am not going to carry the munchkin. So, yesterday, I put her in her big-girl seat in the stroller.
She loved it.
I hated it.
I was so used to looking at my little daughter, talking to her about what was around us, smiling and making faces at her, I was totally bummed out when I couldn't see her at all. I found myself trying to crane my head around to see her as we walked, or skipping around to the side to peer at her. Finally, I gave up. I strapped the runaway-stroller-prevention rope to my wrist just in case, grabbed hold of the crossbar, and just walked on the side of the stroller with her. There we were, walking side by side down the street, getting rather funny looks from the neighbors, while I pointed to the trees and talked about the colors and she looked on and laughed.
She loved it.
I hated it.
I was so used to looking at my little daughter, talking to her about what was around us, smiling and making faces at her, I was totally bummed out when I couldn't see her at all. I found myself trying to crane my head around to see her as we walked, or skipping around to the side to peer at her. Finally, I gave up. I strapped the runaway-stroller-prevention rope to my wrist just in case, grabbed hold of the crossbar, and just walked on the side of the stroller with her. There we were, walking side by side down the street, getting rather funny looks from the neighbors, while I pointed to the trees and talked about the colors and she looked on and laughed.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Girly Girl
Kate is continuing to work on my baby push-ups. Not quite strong enough to get on her knees yet, but she still works at it.
At almost 6 months she is slowly getting used to cereal, drooling up a storm, and still resistant to nap-time. Win some, lose some. She's a happy, social baby who thinks that nursing takes away from socializing and might just rather starve than miss something.
At almost 6 months she is slowly getting used to cereal, drooling up a storm, and still resistant to nap-time. Win some, lose some. She's a happy, social baby who thinks that nursing takes away from socializing and might just rather starve than miss something.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
No need for a babysitter when baby can sit
She's really getting this down. In just three days she went from needing total back support to prevent a spill, to now being able to sit up for several minutes before toppling over.
She also has this great ab-crunch she does to prevent her head from smacking on the floor. As far as I can tell she picked that up after only one floor-slap. Now she refuses to lie down on her stomach and will lie there trying to crunch her way upright (to no avail of course) until you help her. She's also very frustrated with the crawling situation. She looks like she is trying to swim since her tummy is still a little too heavy to clear the ground.
She also has this great ab-crunch she does to prevent her head from smacking on the floor. As far as I can tell she picked that up after only one floor-slap. Now she refuses to lie down on her stomach and will lie there trying to crunch her way upright (to no avail of course) until you help her. She's also very frustrated with the crawling situation. She looks like she is trying to swim since her tummy is still a little too heavy to clear the ground.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
First Cereal
Baby Kate tried brown rice cereal for the first time yesterday. I think her expressions pretty much show how it went...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patty's To Ya
Baby Kate has discovered she can tentatively balance while sitting. She needs help, and often falls backwards, but if she can touch the ground she can usually stay upright for up to a minute. This means, of course, that now she HATES lying down and will do little mini-crunches as though she was willing herself upright.
In honor of St. Patty's day, and her daddy's hard work on his dissertation, a photo...
In honor of St. Patty's day, and her daddy's hard work on his dissertation, a photo...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Camera magic
Okay, well, Kate can support her weight, but not really balance herself. She's actually propped against the chair, but for some reason it looks like she's standing independently. So much so that I couldn't help but post the picture!
Not long after that picture was taken, she was slowly slumping over (but happy the whole while!).
Not long after that picture was taken, she was slowly slumping over (but happy the whole while!).
Saturday, March 14, 2009
We all need down time
Kate, finally exhausted by her ongoing attempt to crawl, rests on her Maryland crab.
And me? I got a kickin' two hour nap thanks to Daddy P. Mmmmm, sleep... I guess Daddy P's down time was playing with Kate...!
And me? I got a kickin' two hour nap thanks to Daddy P. Mmmmm, sleep... I guess Daddy P's down time was playing with Kate...!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
How much to pay for your daughter's life?
I mean, seriously, that's what I feel like I am deciding right now, looking at carseats. From what I can see, the Britax Marathon is the best carseat in terms of safety, partly because you can leave your child rear-facing in it for the longest. Poor Kate, she's not going to get to face forward until she can ramble on in full sentences... But gosh darnit they're expensive! $280? Wow. But, it is suppossed to last until she's about 5 y.o. which I guess is worth it. I mean, of course it is, but geez!
The main problem is that we are not a SUV family, and these carseats are all built for SUVs. I feel as though we are being punished. As it was the Graco Snugride ALMOST doesn't fit in the Vibe. I am very doubtful that these mohemiths will... so it looks like I will be buying several seats at Babies R Us to find one that I can fit in our car...
This whole thing was prompted by the fact that I discovered today that Kate's seat is sitting crooked in the car. As much as I have reviewed the installation instructions of both car and seat, I can't find anything I'm doing wrong. (Although, apparently I am harnessing her in wrong, because the top of the harness is supposed to come out of the seat below her shoulders.) Better late than never, right?
Yeah. Thank the postman for this. A mother's paranoia is a baby's friend.
The main problem is that we are not a SUV family, and these carseats are all built for SUVs. I feel as though we are being punished. As it was the Graco Snugride ALMOST doesn't fit in the Vibe. I am very doubtful that these mohemiths will... so it looks like I will be buying several seats at Babies R Us to find one that I can fit in our car...
This whole thing was prompted by the fact that I discovered today that Kate's seat is sitting crooked in the car. As much as I have reviewed the installation instructions of both car and seat, I can't find anything I'm doing wrong. (Although, apparently I am harnessing her in wrong, because the top of the harness is supposed to come out of the seat below her shoulders.) Better late than never, right?
Yeah. Thank the postman for this. A mother's paranoia is a baby's friend.
Woh, yes, wait a minute Mr. Postman
Why did you run into us? We were innocently driving home from a shopping trip, baby, dog, mom and car, when you rear-ended us. You obviously wanted me to run the yellow light in the rain and weren't too happy when I didn't. But did you have to bump my bumper? Woh, yes, Mr. Postman, I wasn't happy.
But anyway. It was just a tap. Which was obviously a HUGE relief to Mr. Postman who was dressed in shorts on our chilly 47 degree rainy day. There were two spots of paint chips, but really, I wasn't going to make this poor man suffer through the red-tape of telling the gov-ment that he hit a new mother's shiny black Vibe. So we drove off. To his enormous relief.
Neither Kate nor the dog (?!?!) noticed anything happened at all. So, it couldn't have been too big of a tap.
You can see Kate was still happy when we got home, and practiced sitting a little more. She was mostly interested in using her vantage point to watch the dog wherever she went. Her new always-pasttime. Now when I'm hands-occupied and Kate is crying I yell for Elly to come so Kate will forget what she's crying about and watch the dog follow me around. These days I spend most of my time trying to prevent Elly from licking Kate all over the hands-arms-cheeks-face-mouth and now have to also stop Kate from trying to pet the dog. It's such a lost cause. But I'm a survivor! Until Kate can hold her own a little more I'd rather minimize their interaction, but stopping their mutual love affair is obviously going to be harder once Kate can crawl. Oh the joy.
But anyway. It was just a tap. Which was obviously a HUGE relief to Mr. Postman who was dressed in shorts on our chilly 47 degree rainy day. There were two spots of paint chips, but really, I wasn't going to make this poor man suffer through the red-tape of telling the gov-ment that he hit a new mother's shiny black Vibe. So we drove off. To his enormous relief.
Neither Kate nor the dog (?!?!) noticed anything happened at all. So, it couldn't have been too big of a tap.
You can see Kate was still happy when we got home, and practiced sitting a little more. She was mostly interested in using her vantage point to watch the dog wherever she went. Her new always-pasttime. Now when I'm hands-occupied and Kate is crying I yell for Elly to come so Kate will forget what she's crying about and watch the dog follow me around. These days I spend most of my time trying to prevent Elly from licking Kate all over the hands-arms-cheeks-face-mouth and now have to also stop Kate from trying to pet the dog. It's such a lost cause. But I'm a survivor! Until Kate can hold her own a little more I'd rather minimize their interaction, but stopping their mutual love affair is obviously going to be harder once Kate can crawl. Oh the joy.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Nothing at all to do with babies.
Except for the fact that this is about saving money, and babies eat money, this has nothing to do with babies.
How to Get Even With Starbucks:
I love the tea lattes at Starbucks. I do. But do I want to spend $4 for a tea latte? No. Not really. So here is my solution.
#1 Buy Tazo Chai mix at Costco. This breaks down to a box for about $4, which is about $1 a cup (plus your milk). Obviously cheaper than the $4 at Starbucks.
#2 Do you like the new Vanilla Roibus? I do. Love it. But really, all it is is Roibus tea, milk, and two shots of vanilla syrup. There are two ways around this.
a) Go to starbucks. Buy a hot Roibus tea. ($1.80) Ask for two shots of syrup ($.50). Go to the bar and add milk. There you go. You just made a $4 drink only $2 bucks.
b) For home. Buy Roibus tea (HEB sells 20 bags for $2, so for those of you reaching for your calculator, $0.10 a bag). Buy French Vanilla (fat free please) Coffemate creamer in your dairy aisle, and the milk product of your choice). Brew 1/2 c tea, add 1/3 c milk, and creamer to taste. There you go. For about $0.50. Seriously, tastes almost exactly the same.
#3 Get your brother-in-law and almost-sister-in-law to buy you a Moka pot and make espresso at home. :) A very yummy option. Get same people to buy you a frother, and you are ready for home-made lattes. YUM!
How to Get Even With Starbucks:
I love the tea lattes at Starbucks. I do. But do I want to spend $4 for a tea latte? No. Not really. So here is my solution.
#1 Buy Tazo Chai mix at Costco. This breaks down to a box for about $4, which is about $1 a cup (plus your milk). Obviously cheaper than the $4 at Starbucks.
#2 Do you like the new Vanilla Roibus? I do. Love it. But really, all it is is Roibus tea, milk, and two shots of vanilla syrup. There are two ways around this.
a) Go to starbucks. Buy a hot Roibus tea. ($1.80) Ask for two shots of syrup ($.50). Go to the bar and add milk. There you go. You just made a $4 drink only $2 bucks.
b) For home. Buy Roibus tea (HEB sells 20 bags for $2, so for those of you reaching for your calculator, $0.10 a bag). Buy French Vanilla (fat free please) Coffemate creamer in your dairy aisle, and the milk product of your choice). Brew 1/2 c tea, add 1/3 c milk, and creamer to taste. There you go. For about $0.50. Seriously, tastes almost exactly the same.
#3 Get your brother-in-law and almost-sister-in-law to buy you a Moka pot and make espresso at home. :) A very yummy option. Get same people to buy you a frother, and you are ready for home-made lattes. YUM!
Cold weather promotes hair growth
I don't know if you can tell here, but Kate's hair is definitely growing. Apparently Chicago did her some good.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Chicago Recap
Kate did pretty well in Chicago. Daddy P flew up with Kate all by his lonesome, and did very well! In fact, I think he did better without me (and my sleepy drug-induced body) than with me... He said that the security staff were instrumental in making it alone. On my flight, the security team was a little baffled by my breast pump. I'd taken it out of the larger bag so it was just the pump in this black velcroed box. It did look sketchy. But seriously? It says "Modela" all over it. Come on now peeps.
Kate had no problem sleeping the night in Chicago. She went to sleep in her little tent and slept the whole night through. Naps, however, were more difficult. Daddy P ended up putting her in her stroller and walking her up and down the hotel hall until she conked out. We were staying in a suite (not an especially well-kept place, but it had a full kitchen, dining room/living room and separate bedroom) which was so very nice so that Kate could have her own room. She talks a lot in her sleep and I struggle to sleep through her mumblings so everyone slept so much better with her in her own room.
I had a few days of baby-free life. I got in some shopping and really enjoyed being around fellow professionals again, but got pretty tired of pumping all day long by the end. I am very impressed by you ladies who do that all the time. Geesh. We got to see some of our much missed friends and introduce them to Kate which was very fun...
Our weather was nice overall. I was there for two sunny wearing-short-sleeves-and-jeans days. Then the baby and Daddy P came. Temperatures dipped. Rain visited... More of an authentic winter. We were staying right across from the Hamilton building and got a pretty picture of the fog.
Kate had no problem sleeping the night in Chicago. She went to sleep in her little tent and slept the whole night through. Naps, however, were more difficult. Daddy P ended up putting her in her stroller and walking her up and down the hotel hall until she conked out. We were staying in a suite (not an especially well-kept place, but it had a full kitchen, dining room/living room and separate bedroom) which was so very nice so that Kate could have her own room. She talks a lot in her sleep and I struggle to sleep through her mumblings so everyone slept so much better with her in her own room.
I had a few days of baby-free life. I got in some shopping and really enjoyed being around fellow professionals again, but got pretty tired of pumping all day long by the end. I am very impressed by you ladies who do that all the time. Geesh. We got to see some of our much missed friends and introduce them to Kate which was very fun...
Our weather was nice overall. I was there for two sunny wearing-short-sleeves-and-jeans days. Then the baby and Daddy P came. Temperatures dipped. Rain visited... More of an authentic winter. We were staying right across from the Hamilton building and got a pretty picture of the fog.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Baby's first trip to Chicago!
We just returned from our adventure away and are all worn out! More to come later... for now, satisfy yourself with a picture of Kate bundled against the Chicago cold!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Update
A quick update before I leave town and get too distracted to give you silly people little notes... :)
Kate has begun to be picky about her friends. She keeps a close eye out for mom and dad these days, and tracks us closely in the room. She doesn't automatically love people anymore, and seems to discriminate against males especially. You can see that when she didn't see Grandpa R for a week, she gave him the cold shoulder...
This treatment was a little bit of a shock for her uncle chickens who was looking forward to playing with the little sweetie he saw last time. He learned the hard way that you should never point out a woman's baby fat.
Two days ago she learned to roll from tummy to back! Woo hoo! She hasn't done it since I've seen her, but it has been reported to me by solid sources.
As soon as you put her down on her back now she immediately rolls to her tummy and starts reaching for things. Even sick and uncomfortable, she'd rather be holding her head up looking around. Her little legs are a-kicking, too, but she hasn't yet managed to lift her belly off the ground, so our house is safe a little longer...
Tomorrow I part from my baby for the first time (two nights!) and I will admit I am a bit sad already. I'm hoping to make the best of it and enjoy a few days without diapering, breast-feeding, and rocking...
Kate has begun to be picky about her friends. She keeps a close eye out for mom and dad these days, and tracks us closely in the room. She doesn't automatically love people anymore, and seems to discriminate against males especially. You can see that when she didn't see Grandpa R for a week, she gave him the cold shoulder...
This treatment was a little bit of a shock for her uncle chickens who was looking forward to playing with the little sweetie he saw last time. He learned the hard way that you should never point out a woman's baby fat.
Two days ago she learned to roll from tummy to back! Woo hoo! She hasn't done it since I've seen her, but it has been reported to me by solid sources.
As soon as you put her down on her back now she immediately rolls to her tummy and starts reaching for things. Even sick and uncomfortable, she'd rather be holding her head up looking around. Her little legs are a-kicking, too, but she hasn't yet managed to lift her belly off the ground, so our house is safe a little longer...
Tomorrow I part from my baby for the first time (two nights!) and I will admit I am a bit sad already. I'm hoping to make the best of it and enjoy a few days without diapering, breast-feeding, and rocking...
Cleared to Fly
Kate went to the doctor today and got an "okay" for travel. She's got a boring ole cold, and there's nothing to be done but sleep, eat, and whimper (which she's doing a bang-up job at. Well, as am I.). Hopefully we will both be well soon.
We did get a poundage update: 15 lbs 2 oz. Wooowee my arms are gonna be buff.
Months 2 - 5!
We did get a poundage update: 15 lbs 2 oz. Wooowee my arms are gonna be buff.
Months 2 - 5!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Ho Hum
Both baby and Mamacita are currently sick. I will post Kate's 5 month pic soon, I hope, when photographer and model are well.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
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