Friday, July 17, 2009

1st Play Date!

Yesterday I took Lorelai over to Emily's house so that Lorelai and Kye could have a play date. I've been reading Emily's blog for a while and I just feel that as far as parenting goes, we have a lot in common. I don't have, really, any friends that have kids (yet) so it was nice to talk to someone my age that is going through what I'm going through. She also does BabyWise, so that was a HUGE help! Kye is almost exactly a month younger than LL, but as far as I could tell, they are exactly the same size! The only other time that she's seen another baby is at church, but this baby is HUGE! He weighed 24 lbs at 4 months, so he is a giant compared to LL. Kye was much more comparable to her size. She seemed very intrigued by him! She was not talkative the entire time I was there, which really shocked me! I think she was just so fascinated with another baby that she didn't know what to do!
Playing footsie in the Bumbos.
We did lay them on the floor next to each other and she just kept poking him in the eye and grabbing his face and trying to roll over on him. It was so funny! We haven't been able to get her to roll from her back to her tummy in a long time (she knows how - just doesn't want to), but if you put her down next to Kye, she'll do it in a heartbeat! I think he liked her until she started attacking him!

(Kye scared to death - haha!)

It was good for her to see another baby her size and I enjoyed talking to Emily. Hopefully we'll get to play again soon!
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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Foot Fetish

LL has found a new toy lately - her feet! And let me tell you, she thinks that they are the best play toy that she's ever gotten! Any opportunity that she gets to hold her feet, she goes for it. I even found her in her crib the other day sleeping and holding her feet in the air. It was so funny! I don't know how in the world it was comfortable enough for her to actually sleep like that. Her most recent development with her feet is to put them in her mouth. I figured that she would start doing that eventually, and she finally got it the other day. I guess Matt's nickname "Monkey" is pretty accurate for her right about now! I had heard that this was a faze that they go through (a fasination with their feet) so I was anticipating this. I have to say - I really like it! I think that it is super cute! The only time that it is a little annoying is when she's holding them and you're trying to change her diaper. Other than that, I'm enjoying this one!



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Tiny Dancer

The other day I posted about the tutu that I ordered for Lorelai from etsy.com. Well - it came! It looks so cute on her, she seems to feel really pretty in it (she wouldn't stop playing with it and smiling), and I can't wait for her to get some of her 6 month pictures take in it. Here are a couple of pictures as a preview!






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Monday, July 13, 2009

Atlanta Trip

Matt, Lorelai and I went up to Atlanta this past weekend from Thursday to Saturday. This was our last opportunity to spent some time with my sister before Meatball gets here. It was also a good time for Gino to spend some time with LL and really get to know her. We went up there when LL was 2 months old, but Gino was really sick and didn't get to spend any time with her at all. He really hasn't seen her since she was a month old! She's changed so much since then!

We did really good on the ride up there. Our plan was to leave right before nap time and to stop at the Bass Pro in Macon. This would be right about 2 to 2 1/2 hours into our trip. We would stop, walk around, and feed Lorelai. Once we got on the road, though, we decided that it would be best to just drive straight there. I wanted to get there before it was time for bath/bed and if we stopped, it would be pushing it mighty close. So we just drove straight through and I just fed her in her car seat while we were driving. I don't really like to do this, but it works if we need it to. We got there in a little under 4 hours. This is amazing considering that when we came up when she was 2 months, it took us 6 hours because we had to stop so much! This was so much better! When we go there, everyone got to play with her a little, but then it was nap time. I got her down for her nap and then Laura and I left to go to Babies R Us. I wish we had one here because I can spend HOURS in there!

Sleeping on the way there.


Happy to almost be in Atlanta!

While I was there, I decided to go ahead and buy LL some cereal. I've really been thinking that she's ready for it. At her 4 month appt, her dr suggested that we wait, but since that appointment she's been eating so much more than she was. I've talked to Matt and my mom about it and my mom gave me some really good advice. She said, "You know, Robyn, she's YOUR child. You don't have to have permission to do something with her. If you want to give her cereal, give her cereal!" I know it sounds so simple, but I always seem to think that I have to have "permission" to do things with my own child. I don't need to be that way! Matt and I talked about it on the way up to Atlanta and we decided that we'd start her on it and if her fluid intake started dropping because of it, then we'd stop and go back to just formula.

Friday morning we decided to try it out of the first time. It was so funny! She didn't hate it, but she sure didn't like it. I just think that she really didn't know what to do with it. I mean, all she's ever had before is liquid and now she's got something in her mouth that is completely unlike anything else that she's ever had before! We got it on tape and took a bunch of pictures.







Yummy!


After we gave her cereal, my sister left for work. Gino had gone in super early so that he could get off at lunch and Laura knew that she wouldn't be able to get off early, so she just went in a little later. This worked out good because LL was able to stay on her routine and get a good nap in that morning. That was my major goal for this trip - to stay on routine as much as possible! After she woke up from her nap, we fed her and then met both Laura and Gino at Discover Mills for lunch. Matt wanted to go to Bass Pro (duh!) and I wanted to do some clothes shopping. I really really really want a better work wardrobe, but there's no way that I can do it all at once with our budget so I've been trying to just get a little here and there over the summer. Plus, I get SO TIRED of shopping in Valdosta because everyone has the SAME thing! There is this store in Atlanta (and other bigger cities) called Charlotte Russe that I absolutely love and there is an outlet in Discover Mills!

We ate lunch with them and then Matt went to shop at Bass Pro and LL and I headed clothes shopping. She did so good in her big girl stroller! She was so happy to be facing forwards and to be able to look at so much! In the dressing room she just watched me changed clothes and was just a doll. I got 3 shirts and 2 pairs of earring at Charlotte Russe for $70 - not bad! After we left Charlotte Russe, it was about time for Lorelai's nap. I just put down the back of the stroller so that she was laying down instead of sitting and she was asleep in no more than 5 minutes. Perfect! There is also a Carter's outlet in Discover Mills and they're just changing over from summer to fall. I got LL some great 9 month clothes that she needed. Just some long-sleeve onesies and jeans and shirt/pants outfits. We have been so blessed that we have been given SO MANY clothes for this little girl! BUT, that being said, we have hardly anything for her that is bigger than 6-9 months. And the 6-9 months if far and few between. AND what we DO have is geared more towards summer than fall. I was excited to do some fall shopping. I walked completely around Discover Mills while Matt shopped. That entire ring is a mile. I was happy to get in some exercise while pushing the stroller! Because we live on a dirt road, I don't get to push LL in her stroller nearly as much as I would like.

After shopping, we headed home to meet Gino. We stayed home the rest of the day and just spend time together, played a really fun game called "Buzz" and ate dinner. When Laura got home from work her feet were extremely swollen. It really scared me because when I pushed on them, the indention of my finger stayed and I know that that can be a sign of pre-eclampsia. So we made her lay down on the couch with her feet propped up for the rest of the evening. It really scared me, but they were better by the morning.

Spending time with Aunt Laura and Meatball!





In the morning, we got up and Gino took some 5 month pictures of LL. He took her 1 month shots and did a GREAT job, but I was so excited for him to take some new ones because she's changed so much since then! After that, she took her nap, we packed up, and then we headed home!



My favorite!





Another favorite!








We had such a great trip and I can't believe that the next time that I see my sister she'll be a mommy!




Kissing Meatball goodbye!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Kate McRae

PLEASE PRAY FOR KATE MCRAE!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

TuTu

I have very recently fallen in love with etsy.com It is kind of like ebay, but everything is new and it is all handmade. I just think that this is the BEST idea and I love looking around at all the neat and creative things. Just the other day - I made my first purchase! We are going to take LL for her next professional pictures when she turns 6 months (so at the beginning of August) and I wanted a cute, fun little something for her to wear for just a couple of pictures (mind you - not all of them) and this is what I found:
Isn't this absolutely precious?! I ordered a purple just like these pictures and I can't wait for it to come in! I am so excited and I think that LL will look absolutely adorable!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Atlanta Trip

We are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Atlanta for the weekend. We are going to visit my sister and her husband for the last time before their Meatball will be here! Gino hasn't really seen LL since she's been born because the last time that we went up there (in April) he got very sick and stayed in their bedroom the entire time. I'm a little nervous for this trip because of two things:
1) LL is teething and has been SUPER fussy lately. She cried off and on for an hour tonight. She's never done that before.
2) I desperately want to keep her on her schedule and that schedule is already a little skewed right now. I'm in the process of moving her from a 3 1/2 hour schedule to a 4 hour schedule. That makes things complicated enough without a vacation thrown in. I'm going to try as hard as I possibly can to keep this baby on a schedule!

Please pray as we travel!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

5 months!

We have reached 5 months! Every month seems to go by faster and faster! Where is my little baby going? In her place is a cute, bubbly little girl. She has developed SO MUCH in the past month. We still haven't started on cereal - we're strictly just formula right now. She averages between 25 and 30 oz in a day. We've decided that if she starts to continuously eat 30 oz in a day before her 6 month appointment, then we'll start her on cereal before then. If she stays like she is, we'll just wait until then. I desperately want to start her on solids, but I'm holding out! :) Here is how she's changed in the past month:


1- She blows kisses. Well, I call them kisses. I actually did an earlier post on this and you can watch a video of her doing it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9bZQwOoQY8 I don't know how long she'll continue to do this (as with all things she learns), but I'm really enjoying this one. It is so sweet and she just cracks me up every time she starts doing it!

2- She rolls over! Last month I was so frustrated that she wasn't rolling over and that she was "behind". Well, the day after she turned 4 months she rolled from her back to her stomach. A week later she went from her stomach to her back. This is a cute video of her rolling over from her tummy to her back that we took really early one morning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXCzNwyuDSM





3- Chewing. This one is funny and I haven't quite figured it all out yet. She looks exactly like she's chewing food. What I don't know is if she's chewing to mimic us (we tend to notice it when we're eating) or if she's doing it as a part of teething. Either way it is funny to watch her gumming away at nothing.



4 -Pushing up. She was doing this before, but now she is SO much better at it! The other day, she was pushed up really high and was actually able to chew on her fingers and stay up all at the same time!









5- Laughing. She is starting to do this all the time now. She is also laughing more and more often just because things are funny, not just because she is being tickled. I love her little giggle!


6 - Riding in her carrier. We've put her in her carrier before and she's enjoyed it, but just recently she's come to really love riding in it. We've never actually used it out in public yet, but we're going to Atlanta this weekend to visit my sister, so maybe we'll try in out in the mall there. We can fold the top of the front down a little and her little arms just stick out over the top and she is a happy camper! Here's another cute little video of us walking around the yard with LL in her carrier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXHPsLAj-C0










7- Sitting up. We've been putting her in her bumbo for probably 6 weeks now and I think it has really paid off! She's just started sitting on her own. She has to lean forward and put her hands on the ground, but she's still sitting by herself! She looks so grown up and I can't wait for her to get better and better at it!









8 - Eating more. At the middle of June, she was averaging between 22 - 25 oz a day. Now we're averaging between 25-30 oz a day. It might not seem like that much, but to a person as small as she is, that is a lot! It makes me happy to know that she's eating more and my worry level about that has decreased a good bit since her oz level has gone up.


9 - Jumping. Before, when we would put her in her jumperoo, she would just either relax and sit, or stand, but never actually jump. She has just started learning that she can really jump and I think when she does it she surprises herself. We also used to have to put a pillow under her because her feet wouldn't touch the floor, but now she doesn't need her pillow! She is getting so tall!


10 - Control of holding things. She really is starting to be able to coordinate what she wants to do with the things in her hands. She can hold them, look at them, bring them to her mouth, twist them, etc. She's not just blindly grasping at things anymore - she really knows what she is doing with her hands!



11 - Finding her feet. She has realized that she has a brand new toy - her feet! She'll hold them, pull them, laugh at them. It is so cute! I knew we would get to this point and I'm glad that we have because I love seeing her laying on the floor or in her car seat holding her feet!




12 - Sleeping through the night. We're still working on this one. She is about 50/50 on sleeping through the night and I don't really know what to do about it. She is very inconsistent with what time she wakes up (if she does), so I don't think it is habitual waking. And she takes in a full feed when she DOES wake up, so I know that her hunger is valid. "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" says that if they are truly hungry then I need to feed her more during the day. I try! I try so hard! If this little girl is not hungry, she will NOT eat! I get as many oz in her during the day as I can and we've even started doing a "dream feed" with her at night. This means that between 10 - 11pm (long after she's gone to bed), we get her out of her crib and feed her. The catch is that she never wakes up for this feeding. We leave her swaddled and everything, feed her, and just put her right back in. This is just another trick to get some more oz in her to get her to sleep through the night. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I'm really at a loss for what else to do. I've followed Baby Wise, I've followed Baby Whisperer and it's just not happening EVERY time. I guess the good part is, when she DOES wake up in the middle of the night, she eats and goes right back to sleep. We don't have to rock her or do anything. So it's usually about 10 - 15 minutes. 20 tops. We feed her, change her diaper, and put her back in her crib. So I guess it could be worse.


13 - Swaddling. I've been battling this for awhile. When we came home from the hospital, we continued to swaddle her. We found that she slept 100x better when she was swaddled vs. when she wasn't. Plus, it is something that can help reduce the risk of SIDS. Well, it's worked for us well, but now I'm tired of it. And I think she needs to learn how to sleep without it. She's 5 months old! She's really getting too big for all the swaddleme's that we have and I don't want to buy a bigger size because I don't want her to be in them much longer! We've tried before to leave just one arm out and it has failed miserably. Not now! She's been sleeping with one arm out for almost a week now and she's doing great! I'm going to try and put the other arm out soon. Sometimes she gets that other arm out all by herself and sleep fine for hours. Sometimes she gets it out and it wakes her up. I'm just glad that we're on the road towards being done with the swaddling!







14 - Blue eyes. They're still blue! I'm holding out that they'll stay that way! I know that, technically, it can take up to a year to change, but most babies will change by 6 months. And her's are VERY blue. They are not getting darker at all and they are SO beautiful! I know if they turn I will think that brown is also beautiful, but I really want them to stay! Who would have thought that Matt and I would have had a blue eyed baby?! Not us! Between his hazel and my brown, we thought for sure that all of our kids would have brown (maybe hazel), but definitely not blue! Fingers crossed that they'll stay that way!








15 - Bows! She doesn't have a lot of hair, but she FINALLY has just enough to hold in a very small bow! I am SOOO excited about this and I think that she looks mega cute with a bow without the whole ribbon going around her whole head.


16 - Making an Indian Noise. We tried for about a week to get LL to do this, and now she finally does! It is so cute to me and what is really funny is that when you do this with her, she licks your hand. She's so weird. :) Of course, here's another video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C9OsR1yeec