Mama's Musings

DCD is awesome!

2008-09-23T19:57:00.007-04:00

Daycare Debbie told me this afternoon 'lil Miss sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". The 3 Little Ladies were singing songs just before 'lil Miss had her snack. While she snacked on some cheese and crackers, the other 2 girls were singing and playing at the table. Miss was all quiet and watching and then, when everyone was quiet for a moment, my smart 'lil Miss started singing! DCD and her oldest looked at each other in amazement and disbelief as they realized what she was singing.

Miss is learning all kinds of new things. Very recently she said, and signed, "thank you." She's learning manners!! She also signs and says "cheese" and "shoes", although, many times her "sign" just looks like "more".

Last night after I laid her down for bed I heard her practicing names. I heard "em-E" and "O-mA", "O-pA", "da-DY" and "pop-PA". She still often talks and sings before she falls asleep.

On our way home today we visited my dear dear friend Linda. She played nicely with her cell phone (thank you Oma!) and a pad of paper while I had a little visit. What a good girl! Later, Linda's kitty came out of the back bedroom and 'lil Miss was SO EXCITED TO SEE THAT KITTY!! I asked her to "sit on your bottom, please" and to my surprise, she immediately did. She used gentle touch and quietly (for a 1 year old) held out her hand for kitty to smell. A little later, Linda's mom served us a piece of pie and gave me a little plastic cup of water. It was the perfect size. 'lil Miss was SO thirsty! She needed more and more and, "Hey! I'll just do it myself" she finally insisted. So I let her try and she picked the cup off of the table and put it to her lips and drank ALL BY HERSELF!

Daycare Debbie is awesome!

she's walking!!

2008-04-28T12:34:00.003-04:00

Big news- 'lil Miss is finally walking by herself. Sometimes. She can walk sevearl feet unassisted, but still prefers a finger. And she would also like you to go where she would like to go.

She started pointing last week. Very deliberately. Often it's towards the door because she loves to be outside. One of her favorite things is my flower beds. How long before she can help weed? I didn't get to any of my (many) beds last year and it is obvious! She's usually in bed by 7pm and it's still light out so I may be able to get some done in the evenings. Except that I'm also trying to get things done inside. So many things to do!

Obligatory photo:

What I've been up to:

My MIL was here last weekend. She does alot of handwork so I picked up The Man's sock. I couldn't believe when I picked it up it was all set to turn the heel. My absolute favorite part. I feel so clever when I make this tube bend. I got together with my gal pal L saturday and did some more. And now I want to do it all the time. It's going to be carried around in my purse again (instead of hiding in a corner of my office) so I can do a round or two here and there.

I also started a Nursery Bag for 'lil Miss. The fabric I found is fabulous. It's got orange, yellow and browns. Big flowers and butterflys. Cute but not cutsey. I'm trying to cross-stich her name on the front but I am remembering why I HATE to cross stitch. Yuck-O. I didn't want to pay $12 for a book with alphabet patterns. I didn't find anything on line I liked so I printed her name in huge font and stapled it to the cross stitch fabric. The back is a bit of a tangled mess. So far I have this much done. "/"

Today is try-to-get-as-much-house-work-as-possible-done-before-things-get-crazy-busy-day. My chore list includes preping meals for the week, lots of laundry (which The Man helped with this weekend- he rocks!). I also went through some of the clothes that aren't fitting Miss. Those need to go into the bins downstairs and I'll "shop" in the next size bin. I also want to get my office cleaned up so it's easier to work on my projects. You know, when I get my chores done!

Junk Day

2008-04-12T09:34:00.002-04:00

Our little city has a Spring Clean Up Day. The City will pick up all the junk you haul out to the curb. Even appliances. I think the only restriction is leaves and grass clippings!! (Those get picked up on a separate day)

So last night The Man cleaned out the garage and created a big pile at our curbside. Not only did we get rid of a lot of space-sucking-stuff, we also found the rake! (last weekend I had to use the one with the heavy metal tines- it should be used for weeding or breaking up rock-hard earth, not raking leaves).

Last evening, through the night, and still this morning there are trucks and minivans, and even a car with a trailer, cruising up and down the streets picking through our "treasures". I wasn't surprised when a couple people picked out some scrap wood. But when I started seeing several trucks every 15minutes or so...

Our junk pile is noticeably smaller this morning. The stream of trucks has slowed, but the speed they drive past has increased.

First Steps!

2008-04-09T21:50:00.007-04:00

Last night I called my parents and told them how 'lil Miss went from standing up against the cupbard door to monkey-crawling, then crawling. She first carefully put one hand flat on the ground (while holding tight to the cupboard with the other hand). She stood up and then cautiously put both hands on the floor and monkey-crawled a few steps (keeping her legs straight) before crawling on hands and knees.

Today she begain standing by herslef for several minutes at a time.

And tonight she took 3 steps! Then she leaned forward and put both her hands on the floor, keeping her knees straight. She held that position for a couple seconds before getting onto her knees and crawling. She lowered herself forward instead of onto her bottom like many babies. She certainly has a mind of her own! (I wonder she gets that?)

something new everyday

2008-04-07T21:47:00.004-04:00

A couple weeks ago she started crawling. She just took off as if she'd been doing it for weeks already. She doesn't crawl much- instead she cries and whines for you to come hold her hand(s) so she can practice walking. She is cruising along the furniture, but hasn't pulled herself up yet. (any day now)

This morning she pushed herself around on her little car and she stood up and held on (but hated doing it). She can stand alone for several seconds and she's starting to take a quick-little-half-step, but then falls forward for you to catch her. She's very determined, but cautious and careful.

Miss is eating big-girl food. She is done with oatmeal! She still likes applesauce and yogurt, but everything else should be put on her tray for her to pick up herself. She loves cheese- even extra sharp cheddar!

She is often sitting up, on hands and knees or, more and more, standing up holding onto the railing of her crib. She says a sharp, high pitched ! HI ! when I walk in to get her. (one of the best things ever)

She knows "mamam" and "dada" or "dady" says "hi" and waves goodbye. She signs "all done" and understands "milk" but hasn't done it herself yet. She can use a sippy cup but prefers you hold it for her.

ready to go

2008-03-12T20:16:00.006-04:00

Miss is still not crawling. Doesn't seem interested. She wants to WALK. All the time. She doesn't scoot and try to pull herslef up on anything. She just calls for you to come help her.

(This is what I imagine she is thinking)

Hey Lady, come here. Don't you dare leave me alone for a single second. HEY! I can't see you! Where'd youg go! I'm freaking out over here! Are you unable to hear me? HEY! Oh, there- I can see you- I want you to come over here. NOW.

What took you so long? Seriously. (cause she watched Grey's in
utero, so she knows the lingo) Now that you're here, give me your
thumbs. NOW. We do this all day long. Why are you not
getting this?

Ok, now I want you to follow me. Don't let go! I'm really
interested in this thing over here. What is this? Hmmm...
Don't let go. No, I am not ready to move on. I want to stay right
here at look at this here thing. Don't rush me! Ah, yes. It is
the same as last time we were over here. Exactly the same.
huh. I sense you are uniterested in this? Maybe you aren't looking
closely. Oh, you've seen it before? Several times today?
huh. Ok. We can go. Let's go! No, I do not want
to go down the hall, I want to go into the kitchen. I totally realize it's
almost nap time. duh. why do you think I'm avoiding the hall?
seriously.

Assisted walking is her favorite thing right now. She's pretty focused on it. Fixated. While I'm not eager to chase her, my back is a little bit tired of bending over. It is fun to see what she sees and finds so interesting. Door hinges. Door knobs. The phone cord. The bottom dresser drawer. The smallest simplest things. It's forced me to slow down and get some perspective. Because I know in no time she will be running and she won't want me to carry her. And she probably won't want to snuggle and cuddle. So I'm trying to savor every moment.

Can't Quite Reach

2008-02-12T19:29:00.000-05:00

'lil Miss is trying really hard to get whatever thing that is just out of reach. She bends her legs, then "walks" her hands out in front of her and stretches. And reaches. And can't quite figure out what to do with her leg that is under her belly. She's so close!!

Rockstars

2008-02-11T13:06:00.000-05:00

Saturday night The Man and I watched one of the most bizarre documentaries ever. It was all about the United States' entering the Air Guitar World Championship. Yes, Air Guitar. It started as a joke but then took on a life of it's own when so many people showed up to enter the contest. It was crazy. And it was really funny how seriously some of these people took their ART.

what's new?

2008-02-05T20:47:00.000-05:00

'lil Miss is 8 months!! The past couple weeks she has been busy-busy trying new foods, cutting more teeth and trying to crawl. Or walk. (she loves to stand up)

Foods we've tried so far: sweet potatos, squash, peas, carrots, green beans, mixed veggies, broccoli with potatos, pears, applesauce, banans, bananas and peaches, toasted oat Os, oranges and yogurt.

This is Miss a couple days ago eating a clemantine. She still has a little trouble getting finger foods into her mouth, but she loves to try.

One of her top center teeth has broken through and the second should poke through any day now. But I've been expecting it any day now for at least a week now. They are slow coming through, but don't seem to trouble her too much. Much drooling, a little fussy at times. And her naps have been significantly shorter over the past week.

Miss is also getting very close to crawling. She is ready to be on the move and wants to see what's going on. She is very curious, watching everything very carefully. In new situations she is quiet but is really paying close attention. She doesn't miss a thing!

...and she really likes her mama. The Man is feeling a little left out. Working and going to school makes it hard to spend as much time with baby as he'd like so it's sad when he gets the chance and she wants me. It's a phase I keep telling him. I've been trying to smile and say a big hello and then walk away. She usually doesn't protest and if she does, it isn't much.

She has started to complain when I leave the room and after sitting for a bit she wants to stand up. She likes standing up so much she might skip the crawling. Once she's able to pull herself up I think she'll be on the go in a big way. And then, so will I.

The best thing ever

2008-01-24T20:18:00.000-05:00

I just got a new ipod! As I sit here uploading my most favorite songs I realize:

I spent alot of money on CDs back when I had money. (Which means almost all my CDs are at least 10 years old.)

There is only one, maybe two good songs on a CD but I still listen to the intro of each of them, just in case I remembered wrong. (So far I haven't)

Whining! What was it that made whining sound like great music? I thought that the whiny music genre started fairly recently. (I was so wrong)

It would be so much easier to find the songs I want if the CDs where alphabetized. AND if they were actually in their case. (Add Orgainze CDs to my Things to Do when Miss leaves for College List)

I think my favorite thing about my new toy is I can download pod casts. I really enjoy the NPR (see, old lady, right?) show This American Life (on account of there's not much whining) but I never remember to listen while I'm at home. If I catch it in the car, I'm on the way somewhere and miss part of it. So now I can listen to the whole program (or part of it) whenever I want. And I don't have to search for it.

phrases overheard

2008-01-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

As a new mom, I find myself more aware of other mom's phrases. I'm often impressed by how they quickly maneuver awkward questions or redirect inappropriate behaviors. These are some clever (and funny) ladies.

"walk it off kid" (so as not to encourage unnecessary drama)
"use your words, I don't understand whine." (also to discourage drama)
"good job getting it together!" (after near-miss of a total meltdown)
"that's good sharing! I'm so proud of you." (I especially like this one when the sharer is NOT happy about sharing but has been forced to.)

but my favorite so far, and it's going to take a lot to top this little gem:

"you don't have to poop? Just toots? GOOD GIRL! Ladies toot on the toilet. Good job."

It took all kinds of restraint not to fall down laughing right there on the spot.

Oh Baby

2008-01-17T20:15:00.000-05:00

I got this in one of the "your baby's development" email newsletters:

"To help develop your baby's coordination, show him or her how to tap two saucepan lids together. Then place them in his or her hands and move his or her hands the same way you moved yours, so he or she can get the feel of the movement. Then let your baby give it a try and watch his or her excitement when he or she can make a loud noise."

seriously? Why would anyone want to teach their child to make LOUD and ANNOYING noises? I am certain she'll figure out the fun of LOUD and ANNOYING sooner than later. And then I'll start saying "baby, please stop that. Mama's ears hurt."

where to begin?

2008-01-05T12:44:00.000-05:00

It's been so long since I last posted, I'm surprised I was able to sign in! It would be ridiculous to try to catch up so instead, a rambling post of what's going on now.

Work: It's been nice to have a routine again. I like what I do and who I work with. I get to hang out with my BFF all day so that's good. When I returned, the atmosphere in the office as tense to say the least. There was a lot of negative energy. But things are improving. (they couldn't get much worse). I'm happy to have my current schedule of 4 days a week ok'd permanently. Having Monday off to spend with my daughter is great. A chance to recover from the weekend. And get a good jump on household management responsibilities.

Home: Good. Great.

Baby: (the reason anyone is checking this blog) Awesome. I am so in love with 'lil Miss!! She is 7 Months now. I can't believe it. She has 2 teeth and working on more. (she is drooling like crazy) She's started solids. Her personal preferences are different day to day. But she lets you know if you picked the wrong cereal or fruit or veggie side item. She certainly knows what she wants when she wants it. But she's not very consistent so it's often hard to know.

(I'm having difficulties uploading pictures, email me and I'll send you a link to recent albums on snapfish.)

So far we've tried: oats, rice, barley. Applesauce, avacado, sweet potatos, carots, peas, potato-brocolli, and pears.

What she's doing lately: She sits very well. Still hates being on her tummy, although she can roll over onto her back. 'lil Miss LOVES the jumperoo. Bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce... on and on like the energizer bunny. She only stops to crank her head backwards to see what's on the tv. (she is her father's child) She gives open mouth slobbery kisses- which from anyone else's baby is kinda gross. I guess some things really are different when it's your own. It's one of my favorite things.

it's back to work I go...

2007-09-25T19:51:00.000-04:00

First day back at work. It was hard. But it was good too. I know a lot of people must have been praying because for the past week everytime I'd think about it or talk about it I'd get teary eyed and choked up. Grandma came to watch 'lil Miss and that made it alot easier. We've been working on "start times" and "bed times" and on begining the first nap around the same time every day. Having a routine is helpful for the both of us. The goal is up and eat at 630am, play time, then momma puts her down for 1st nap around 8am, then off to work I go. (I start at 830 now, how perfect is that?) Things went just exactly as planned.

Good things:
Our morning routine went as planned. It was great to see all my co-workers. It was nice to be with adults and talk about things other than -diapers. The Man sent flowers to my office and then dropped off a plant for my desk. I got to sit with my BFF ALL DAY. (yeaH!) I had qudoba for lunch. (I'd been craving it all summer!) And I've got a pint of B&J's half baked in the freezer.

Things that were really weird:
Not being with my daughter. Not being at home. Not holding my baby (I felt like I was missing an arm or something). Not carrying too many bags AND a car seat. Listening to Morning Edition and driving in rush hour traffic. (It's only 3 miles to work, but still. It was weird) It felt like nothing had changed and I was just off on a weeks vacation. So sureal.

And finally NEW PICTURES- cause that's why you're checking the blog ;)

This is how Miss goes to bed. On her back, with her bug and holding her bear. If you lay her down when she's ready, before she gets overtired, she goes down without much (if any) fussing. What a good baby!

This is how we often find her in the morning. She will often kick before she's ready to get up. Sometimes as long as an hour. Sometimes I'll hear her in the middle of the night. One morning she had kicked her pants right off!

And a picture taken yesteday.

'lil Miss finds her hands

2007-09-19T09:43:00.000-04:00

New pictures!

'lil Miss found her hands. At least one of them is always in her mouth.

And she can now grasp things.

Who's bigger?

2007-08-30T21:21:00.000-04:00

Our neighbors had a baby 7 weeks after us. 'lil Miss was 6-2 when born. Our neighbor's baby boy was 9-14(?).

This is week 13 and week 6. Who's bigger?

Baby's first shower

2007-08-29T08:09:00.000-04:00

This is baby's first bath. She still hates baths. We tried everything we could think of to make bath time less traumatic. It never got much better.

The Man's sister had told us they showered with their babies when they were just several weeks old. Last night we finally gave it a try and we found that showers are not so bad. There were no tears!

Update with pictures

2007-08-28T12:33:00.000-04:00

Baby Girl is 12 weeks now. She's smiling, and "talking". She says "goo" "aaawhhhgg" "ohhh" and "whooo" She sounds like a little owl! She started drooling and blowing bubbles. She sticks her tounge in and out. She's also started to hit dangling toys with her hands.

And she's sleeping in her Big Girl Crib in her own room.

Fiber Fest 2007

2007-08-22T14:50:00.000-04:00

I'm very late getting this posted. These pictures are from saturday August 18

Early saturday morning my sister came with us to the Farmer's Market. Then we stopped by the bakery for pasteries. We fed baby, enjoyed our scones and what nots, then headed off to the Fiber Fest held at the Allegan County Fair Grounds.

We saw Alpacas and sheep.

And sheep being shorn.

And I tried really hard to get Kelly interested in spinning. Did you know there are table top electric models? They don't take up much space- in fact, you could store it in a drawer! She gave it a try but she appears to be impervious to the powers of wool.

Funny baby pictures taken on 8/18.

at the coffee shop

2007-08-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

My friend and knitting buddy, Linda, with 'lil miss.

What a good baby! 'lil Miss took a nap at the coffee shop while we caught up with eachother and our knitting.

Boo gets a bath

2007-08-16T12:50:00.000-04:00

That's almost enough hair to make a 2nd dog!

This doesn't even begin to show how much hair or how wet the floor was. (I forgot to get a picture of Boo in the tub lathered up or in the shower getting rinsed off.

Clean dog is a shiny dog. (But still shedding.)

Reward.

Grandparent's visit for the weekend

2007-08-14T12:15:00.000-04:00

Grandpa and Grandma came from out of town to visit baby girl for the weekend.

Baby girl is talking now. She says "whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo" and sometimes "ohh ohhh ohh" Best thing ever.

Curly Cues

2007-08-06T15:28:00.000-04:00

I think baby girl's hair is going to be curly. What do you think?

zzzzzzzz

2007-08-04T18:57:00.000-04:00

I didn't want to say anything until it became a trend. Not just a fluke.

!BABY IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Her last feeding is anywhere from 9 to 11 and her first is sometime between 4 and 6.

This is 'lil Miss wrapped up snug-as-a-bug. You might notice her eyse are open. As she gets tired she wants to be swaddled very tightly and then laid down. Awake. She'll lie there (awake) for 10 - 15 minutes. Not crying or fussing. She just wants to be left alone and when she's ready, she closes her eyes and sleeps. (ALL NIGHT)

no babies were awakened when taking this picture.

the littlest things

2007-08-02T09:49:00.000-04:00

BABY: Baby sleeping through the night (1000pm - 5am again last night- 2 nights in a row) smiles, coos and goos, cuddling, when I get to sleep through the night, naps, having time in the shower to shave my legs, phone calls frorm my mom with encouraging words, emails, visiters... SUMMER: hearing the rain fall on the roof of the cabin- especially when falling asleep in the loft, sandals, painted toenails, sitting on the patio in the early morning with a cup of coffee, hearing a softball game a couple blocks away, the buzz of insects in the late evening, birds in the morning, walking along the beaches in Northern Michigan and feeling the cold water in my ankles, squeeking noise when you walk on wet sand, the feeling of the waves as you ride home after a long day of swiming in Lake Michigan, the Farmers Market, tomatoes... Regarding HEAT: AC, ceiling fans, lemonaide- especially fresh squeezed, rain and storms when the cold front (finally) comes through ending the heatwave... AUTUMN: cooler weather, sweaters, jeans, wool socks, the smell of leaves, the crunch and swoosh sound when you walk through leaves, hot coffee, when it's just cold enough to make your nose and cheeks cold, hearing marching bands practice a mile away, the bluest skies, feilds of yellowed corn and pale golden wheat and beans, Thanksgiving dinner at grandma's, apple and pumpkin pie, carving pumpkins, an apple that bites back and is so crunchy and juicy that it foams a little when you bite into it, a weekend spent Up North... KNITTING: natural fibers- especially wool and alpaca, sheep and alpacas, hand spun and dyed yarns, the way the unique color combos of Noro Kueron and silk garden blend as it changes, knitting hats for my very young neice who wants to wear them (even a wool hat while playin in the sprinklers on a very hot day) knitting hats and mittens for someone who loves 'em, combining yarns of different colors and textures, sock yarn, long car rides=lots of time to knit, knitting with friends, especially over coffe or at the shop http://www.city-knitting.com/, FOOD: breakfast at Wolfgangs, Jimmy John's beach club sandwhich, chocolate, ice cream, anything with cheese in it(any kind), cake! pastries, Thai food, strong dark coffe, especialy with cream and even better when The Man brings it to me in bed... RANDOM: being able to sit and enjoy the quiet and solitude as the sun rises, someone else's puppy, someone elses's kitten, singing along to the radio in the car, hearing someone else sing along, seeing someone really rockin' in the car next to you, a drive in the country, cards and letters in the mail, date night, when friends visit from out of town, when a new CD is better than you thought it'd be, phone calls on my birthday, pictures from Aunt Mary, the way Grammy says "hi Emie" while she hugs me, when The Man gets groceries or happily runs other errands for me...

Guess who found her feet

2007-07-31T14:07:00.000-04:00

'lil Miss figured out how to kick toys this morning. She had a great time kicking and kicking and kicking.

She's also getting better at sleeping. Yesterday she was able to lay down with her bug (pacifier) and her bear/blanket. She wasn't even asleep yet, just drowsy. Other times she wanted to be rocked to sleep. But there was no screaming. Also, no swaddling required- another first.

The man is still very busy with school. He seems to have gotten into the swing of things. I don't hear any more complaints about how much he doesn't want to be in school. Now I hear alot about his diversity class. It's written from an American perspective but he learned about it from a world perspective, what with being a Third Culture Kid and all.

Man's friend, Joel, is in town from AK. We had dinner with his family saturday night. Very nice to seem them all again. Tonight the Man is going to meet Joel and Mark for beers at the local micro brewery. He hasn't had an oppertunity to get out much lately.

Joel had a helpful suggestion for calming baby:

She loves it! She loves to watch the balloon move as she jerks her arm.

Momma needs ice cream

2007-07-27T09:17:00.000-04:00

Miss got her shots on monday at her 2 month check up. (2 months!) It was a good thing daddy was there because I just about lost it when she screamed in absolute deadly pain and terror when she got the shot. I am certain it hurt me more than her. The Man and I had joked about how some parents trick their kids into the car telling them they're going for ice cream. (after they get their shots). Now I understand. The ice cream is as much for the momma as it is for the child. When Miss and I got home, I gave her some tylenol and momma had some ice cream.

Baby is crying much much less the past several days. Also, there are several different cries and they vary in intensity/volume. The screaming all the time phase may be behind us. She's started smiling and cooing. And she already enjoys talking on the phone. Grandma called a couple times and asked to talk to her. Wen she hears Grandma's voice she turns her head toward the phone and tries to kiss it and coos. Her little arms start waving and her eyebrows twitch as she concetrates on trying to talk.

A few weeks ago we visited the local shop. This is baby's first spinning lesson.

Busy day

2007-07-19T08:26:00.000-04:00

Our neighbors told us a big secret last night- if she didn't go into labor overnight, they would induce her at 5am. (We were sure she'd go into labor while we were out of town for the weekend) Funny thing- they told us and no one else. It's fun to be in on a secret, especially such a big one! Their plan is to call everyone and then call her mom last. Because she's been calling several times a day, and if they don't answer, she calls the hospital. Seriously? They're a little annoyed by this, although they were laughing about it. Mom & I exchanged phone numbers. They assure me I will regret this because she will call me. Alot. But hey, I'm home alone all day. I wouldn't mind talking to anyone about anything.

Seriously, if a telemarketer were to call, they'd hang up on me! If mom calls, I'm going to try to get my words in before she asks if I've heard anything. When The Man's grandmother calls looking for her son (Man's dad) she tries to be all nonchalant about why she's calling, but the only thing she wants to know is "WHERE'S ABE?!" She's convinced something horrible has happened (like death or what's worse than death?) But she doesn't want you to know she's worried sick. So I ask her lots of questions and try to get her to talk. It's a little game I play to see how long I can keep her on the phone. That sounds mean, doesn't it? But I really do enjoy talking to her. But once she finds out "where's Abe?" she doesn't want to talk anymore.

Today is errand day. I'm going to go ask my employer for their share of my copay. They've decided to save money by "insuring the employees themselves" So after I meet the first $500.00 of the $2000.00 copay, they will pay the remaing. Which in my case is $1489.70. And then I'm going to ask for a check for the $500.00 from my flex spending plan. I am not looking forward to this conversation. And it makes me sad that I'm dreading it so much. I mean, it's a company that really values it's employees and their families. God first, family second, community third. I guess we'll see, huh?

After that I'm stopping at the fabric store to get fabric to make a sling and some flanel to make some baby's blankets. I make them small so it's for baby to hold onto, no to be wrapped in. I pull the corner through the pacifier and that makes it easy to find in the car seat when I'm driving. And it keeps it from falling on the floor- you're still holding onto the blanket.

Then I'm going to drive out to see my grandma and asker her to surger the sides instead of heming them. And maybe she'll sew a quick hem on the sling too. If she doesn't have time I'll walk across the yard to my mom's house.

Big day for us. Better get ready. As soon as baby wakes up and is fed I hope to get gone. Hopefully she'll sleep through most of it.

it's just colic

2007-07-18T10:28:00.000-04:00

It's been a few days now and the crying and fussing and screaming is just in the late evenings now. 3 or 4 hours begining around 7 or 8. Every night. That's colic, right? And I'm thrilled that it's just a few hours a day now.

We saw her first smile sunday night. This morning she could hardly finish eating because she was so busy smiling at her momma!

weekend update

2007-07-17T16:33:00.000-04:00

'lil Miss did so great this weekend while we visited family in IN. We spent the nights at SIL's house and the entire day at MIL's house. Many times I was able to lay her down while she was still just a bit awake and walk away and she fell asleep. Amazing! Especially considering how many people were there. And the fact that she was laid down in the living room where several people were walking through on the way to the bedrooms, the bathroom and out the front door. AND she slept through her cousins sneaking peeks at her.

She is still having gas troubles. Poor dear. She gets air bubbles stuck up top and below causing her a lot of pain. And boy does she howl! Alot of time was spent walking her "football style" to ease some of her tummy pains. There were lots of Aunties & Great Aunties and of course Grandma, eager to take a turn. I was surprised anyone would want to hold a screaming baby. (other than her momma, 'cause it's different when it's your own.)

Cousin Maya had her 3 year birthday party at a park on saturday. I gave her a knit hat that looks like an egplant. She insisted on wearing it while running through the water sprinklers in her bathing suite. That girl is definatley knit-worthy.

On the way I scored 3-1/2 hours of knititng time. I was making a hat for my God daughter but forgot the needles to finish it. Luckily, I know where all the yarn shops are. We picked up needles and I finished the hat. And when I gave Abigal the hat she said thank you, gave me a quick hug and ran to play with Maya. That's what happens when you knit for a 2-1/2 year old.

It IS getting better

2007-07-12T09:37:00.000-04:00

Things are looking up. If I catch Miss as she's just getting drowsy (which is tricky- her cues are very suttle) I can lay her down, tuck her in and she'll fall asleep on her own. If I miss it or she gets overstimulated it's much harder. It sometimes takes a lot to get her to calm down enough to fall asleep.

But she is sleeping better. She's been skipping the 12am feeding several days in a row. She'll go down around 10 or 11 and stay asleep until 3am. That's 5 or 6 hours instead of only 2 or 3! Her next sleep after her 3am feeding is getting longer too. More sleep for mom!

holding my breath

2007-07-10T14:26:00.000-04:00

At each nap time yesterday I tried 2 - 3 times to lay baby down to sleep.

I tried:
* putting her down as soon as she showed signs of being drowsy. Didn't work.
* putting her down when completely asleep. Didn't work.
* swadling her and putting her down at first signs of drowsy. No luck.
* swadling her, then soothing all the way to sleep and then putting her down. Nope.

I let her cry each time before picking her back up. Finally I'd put her in the sling and she'd sleep and sleep. Ultimately, she did get good sleep yesterday. And she slept longer last night! She skipped her 12am feeding and slept until 330am. (total of 5-1/2 hours for baby and mom) She then slept an extra hour after the 3am feeding!

AND... today I was able to lay her down after her first feeding. She woke up when I laid her down but she went back to sleep. After her noon nap she fell asleep in my arms and woke up when I laid her down. After letting her cry a bit I went in, put her soother back in, and held my hand over her eyes until she closed them again. She stayed down!

It may be "sleep training". Or it may be she's coming out of this phase. A combination. I'm hopeful either way.

It will get better

2007-07-09T08:19:00.000-04:00

"It will get better" This is the encouraging statement everyone tells us. It has gotten better but...

She is still often fussy and then goes quickly to crying, and then begins to scream. So I checked a couple parenting books. The According to the sleep book my friend gave me. (healthy sleep, happy child) she isn't an "easy" baby and she isn't getting enough sleep. Getting more sleep (naps) will hep her temperment and will help her sleep longer at night. Because she doesn't fall asleep easily I need to be watching more closely for her drowsy signs and not wait until she gets fussy. It's challenging because she doesn't always show drowsy signs. The book also stressed how important it is to get quality sleep. This will make it easier for her to get to sleep.

What works:
Her Momma soothing her before she starts crying.
Her Momma wearing her in the sling (it especially helps if it's before she starts crying).
Being swaddled and soothed to sleep by her Momma. She can then (usually) be passed to her daddy. Sometimes she will stay asleep if laid down, but she often wakes up and then we have to start all over again.

Being soothed by dad is getting better. He was off work thursday and friday so he had a long weekend to spend with her. It's harder for him because he isn't able to be around as much as I am. Also, the crying and fussing bothers him. He gets frustrated and tense and she can sense that. We can't wait for this phase to end so they can spend more time bonding and enjoying eachother.

I'm getting better at reading her as she eats. She has such a strong suck- she ends up eating to fast, too much and sucks in too much air. It's not as simple as sticking a bottle in her mouth when she's hungry.

New accomidations for baby

2007-07-05T16:53:00.000-04:00

The crib is done! FIL & MIL drove up with it on the 4th. It looks so awesome!! It will turn into a todler day bed, then into a full size bed!

For the 4th we grilled chicken and steaks marinated by The Man. They were wonderful! I love it when he grills in the summer! After dinner we went for a walk to a nearby park. We brought the dog only to find out when we got there "No dogs allowed". So we continued around the city block. It was a beautiful evening for a walk but I made a poor shoe choice and ended up with several blisters on my feet. Ouch!

Baby is starting to almost smile at me. She's also trying to say "goo" and "ooh". So cute.

Update on plumbing project

2007-07-03T14:12:00.000-04:00

The plumbing project is done. I can't believe what a difference it has made in the water pressure. When I took my shower this morning the water pressure was so much more than last week. I had no idea that The Man had left the sprinkler running when he left for work.

We went to the softball game again last night. Baby did much better in the car. Hardly any screaming. The Man wore his hawaian shirt and stood with his buddies on the team. I (mistakenly) thought we were going as a family, and would socialize and sit together as such. I didn't realize how badly he wanted to play. He should probably join the team next year.

Looking forward to The Man being home more the rest of the week. Sounds like he'll just be going in to do some watering for a couple hours a day. He has plans to go fly fishing on thursday. First time this year. It'll be good for him to do something fun instead of home improvement projects.

plumbing project

2007-07-01T18:38:00.000-04:00

This weekend The Man re-plumbed the entire house. The original galvanized pipes had so much gunky build-up that our water pressure was almost nil. As I understand it, he installed all the PVC and CPVC, then cut out the old, and then connected the new at the shut-off valve. Baby and I left the house.

Friday night there was tremendous noise and it felt like the house was going to fall down. (saw-z-all and metal pipes- so scary!!) Baby and I went across the street to the neighbor's. Dog came too. We sat around the fire and chatted. The Man came later for hot dogs and yummy desert. (good job, A!) Just after I crawled into bed, The Man came and asked me to help a minute. "bring a rag and come outside" (it's after 11pm) I'm asked to hold onto a small length of copper pipe while he heats it up with a torch and sodders a joint(?).

Saturday morning baby and I went to the market with my sister. Then to Wolfgangs for breakfast. Yumm-O! After breakfast, baby and I went to the shoppe to sit and knit. First knitting I've been able to do since baby. Lorilee and Carol took turns holding baby while I knit. After several hours, I returned home to check on The Man. He was in a surprisingly good mood. There was no anger and tension as I expected. (This is a HUGE plumbing project) After several more hours, and a couple hiccups, the water came back on.

Sunday- The bathroom sink had so much sediment in the little bit of old pipe- it is being replaced today and new fixture installed.

Baby Girl slept until 5am this morning!

When she wakes up she stretches and wiggles and waves her arms (usually one at a time) making the funniest little faces.

She has been a bit clingy recently. After many days of being held by visitors she really likes to be held by her momma. I've been wearing her in the sling alot. She seems to just love being so close all the time.