Little Miss was born with a ton of hair and continued to grow that hair to great lengths. Unfortunately, she also decided to rub a little bald spot on the back of her head. The result left something to be desired in the world of baby style. (A baby mullet.) So, yesterday, after a long internal debate, I whipped out the hair scissors and clippers, put sweet girl in her Bumbo seat in front of the bathroom mirror and trimmed her little 'do. (Yes, I saved a bunch of the hair in a Ziplock bag.) She was fairly patient, but I was extra, extra careful because she has the ability to lunge and lurch at any given moment. Here are the before and after shots:
BEFORE
Ye olde bald spot and mullet tail. Oh dear.
Hey, that baby is sitting up! (Woohoo!) And has a long comb over! (Uh oh.)
AFTER
Haven't had a chance yet to get a good back of the head shot, but what an improvement!
And it is light, fluffy and back to curling again, which I LOVE.
Baby girl with her paternal grandmother in Butte, MT.
So far December has been a mix of wonderful experiences to build memories on and a some sad moments we won't soon forget. We wrapped up November with a fantastic trip to Butte, Montana, to visit the paternal homestead. We stalled until the last minute in deciding whether to make the drive, but the weather was clear, the baby was mostly quiet, and it was better than we could have anticipated. Baby girl got to spend several days with her paternal grandparents and made her first trip to Montana. (Maternal grandparents got a visit in September.) So baby girl is off and running as a road tripper! Thanksgiving was a quiet affair, and we had a lovely time. Unfortunately, while away, we learned that my grandmother is ailing. And this time it looks like the last of her days. She decided that she did not want any further procedures to alleviate complications she was experiencing due to congestive heart failure. Grandma is 90 years old and has lived a long, engaged, full life...so circumstances could be worse in relaying this news. But it is difficult to lose a loved one, no matter how reasonable the circumstances. I am particularly close to Grandma, so it is very difficult to know she is quietly slipping from us in a town so many miles away.
Ada working on a spoon during breakfast. Grandma knitted her a little Santa hat.
So I have pulled out the many Christmas decorations that my grandmother has made or passed on to me over the years. I have begun baking Christmas goodies in her tradition. I'm remembering all of the years of singing Christmas carols out of her little handmade carol books. I want my little darling girl to experience, from the beginning, the warmth that these little details bring to the season. She is fortunate to have grandparents, like I did, that want her to feel special and loved every day of the year.
A very little baby girl with her maternal grandparents.
November has just flown by. National Adoption Day (November 21) was celebrated here in Yakima County on November 12. There were 14 foster-to-adopt children adopted at Juvenile Court in front of Comm. Inouye, who is generally assigned to the hardest part of that process -- watching suffering families work to rehabilitate their parenting skills or, worse, watching parents deliberately ignore the State's mandates for services and go off the grid, leaving their children in limbo. He got to see the wonderful end product to some tough cases. Mostly, we finalize adoptions downtown at the Superior Court, so he doesn't get to see the good part. This was a great chance for him to realize that he does important work. At any rate, that is what I have been doing since the early part of November -- rushing around to get adoption packets together and filed with the court. It was a great success! For a really nice article on one of my clients, see here: http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/11/11/11-12-09-adoption
Baby girl had her 4 month shots this week. She was actually two days short of 5 months, so we were a bit late! This time the actual process was much better. I did not look her in the eye when the shots were administered, so was able to just scoop her up and comfort her without that look of confusion in her eye as to why I was so cruel. She looked at the nurse that way, but not me! Yes! The post-visit situation has been less easy. Little miss had a bit of a fever and has been a cranky pants for several days. She has been sleeping and napping well though, which will hopefully help her to bounce back soon. I miss those little smiles and giggles.
Her measurements are all fairly average. She is still right around the 50th percentile for height and weight, with a slightly smaller than average head size. Small, but mighty, this baby girl can flip over from back to tummy and is trying to figure out how to roll back over. We're playing a new game that involves her practicing sitting up and standing, and she can't get enough of it. It is the only game that has gotten me a smile in the past few days.
My sweet girl is actually 5 months old today. Here are a few "almost 5 months old" pictures from the past week or so. Note the Oregon Duck onesie from her Duck loving Grandpa!
Baby girl NEVER takes a long morning nap. And by never, I mean...never! We've been working on enjoying a morning nap for weeks now, but she just seems to enjoy snoozing for half an hour, then waking up to enjoy the rest of what the morning has to offer. Today, when I actually have agreed to be somewhere post-naptime, she is taking a glorious, long siesta. Isn't that the way it seems to always go? My workload has actually picked up quite a bit this week, so naptime is a precious commodity for getting a few things done. I soothed, shushed, rocked, snuggled and loved that baby to bits in the hope that she would settle in for some long naps all week long. However, no matter the time of day, little Miss decided she preferred being awake to asleep and that was that. So, here comes the day when I am counting on her little mini-nap and (insert sigh and motherly head shake here), alas, the nap goes on and on. I'm actually pretty tempted to run around the house being careless with my noisemaking. Flush the toilet a few times, move some furniture around, talk on the phone in my not-so-quiet voice...anything that I normally do with care while I hope that she stays asleep for those few extra precious minutes. The time she spends asleep is not only essential for my ability to accomplish little tasks, but it is so, so good for her little growing brain and body. After a good nap, she is just the smilingest, happiest thing. So I guess we will be late to our meeting, but we will be in a good mood!
Not sure about everyone else, but my Gmail account was acting up this week. Its issues seem to have affected my blogger account as well, so this week's posts are a little late. As you can see below, baby girl was a bumble bee for Halloween. We went to a few select neighbors to show her off in her cute little costume. She really hates head wear, so the first time she was dressed in the bee costume there were some little fits of dissatisfaction. By Halloween evening, she was more accepting and seemed to think of it as an all-weather suit as we walked the neighborhood, rather than a torture device. It was fun to think of future Halloweens and future costumes. Our neighborhood is sorely lacking in little ones, according to the old-timers. In the early 60s, our block was a new development teeming with the children of young professionals. Now, 40 years later, those young professionals are the anchors of the block, setting the standard with their intensive gardening and fertilizing schedules, waiting patiently for their gaggle of grandchildren to come in their costumes. They sure enjoy seeing our baby girl out on a walk or dressed in festive holiday wear.
I just snapped a quick photo of my sweet pea on our way out the door this week. We were on our way to Costco to purchase many more things than we actually needed. She finally fits into this cute OshKosh sweatshirt. You can't really see it, but it is the perfect shade of turquoise to set off her pretty blue eyes. (And it color coordinates with her binky, a fashion plus.) Her great grandma gave her this tiger stuffed animal, and she loves it. It goes with us a lot. Can you see why all of the grandmothers in Costco had to stop and coo at her?
In other news, the bassinet has been refilled! No, I'm not pregnant.
Mrs. C has decided that the bassinet was really meant for her all along.
Today was a milestone in the baby/kitty relationship. Our feisty feline, known affectionately as Missus Chickens, was enjoying some time with mama and baby on the bed. She likes to join us because I sing songs and have my head close to the comforter, which is enticing and requires a certain amount of head rubbing on my shoulder. I have become accustomed to the cat following the baby and I from room to room and observing us with the occasional interaction. Of course, when we first came home from the hospital, I worried that the cat would take an unnatural interest in the baby and end up sleeping on her or scratching her or a million other dangerous or inconvenient things that cats do when they are displaced in the family hierarchy. Mrs. C has not succumbed to any evil thoughts she may be having, which is a huge relief. In fact, the baby seems to bring out her nurturing side. Those who have met Mrs. C may balk at this revelation -- this cat is generally a giant brat to extended family. However, if I am upset or need a friend, inevitably Mrs. C senses it and comes for some love to comfort me. She seems to do the same when it comes to the baby. The baby inspires interest, some purring and the occasional rabbit-kick roustabout with baby's stuffed animals. But so far, NO bad behavior. Whew.
Today, as we were engaging in our singing, sounds and soothing routine, the cat was especially friendly. She was rubbing unusually close to the baby's newly grabby hands. Lo and behold, a surprise to them both whenbaby girl's grip found the scruff of Mrs. C's neck! Mrs. C did not even flinch. She was quickly released and ended up laying down next to us and enjoying more of our singing interactions. I was able to get a photo of some further touching. They even held hands for a while. What a lovely beginning to this friendship!
We then decided to play a little before naptime. Baby girl received this colorful jumper from maternal grandma and grandpa. She doesn't quite fit in it, but with some blankets stuffed around her middle and some books under the foot surface, she can make some early use of it during play time. It really got her interest today. Of course, we all look forward to the time when she can make use of natural materials for play...wooden blocks, pull toys, cloth dolls, etc. However, it is sure convenient to have some plastic at this age for the bright colors and easy clean up.
New monkey fuzzy jammies from Brigit go very well with Tammy's handmade jungle cat quilt!
Well, baby girl has been in the world for four months now. I can hardly believe it. It is remarkable and UNFAIR that she is only this little for a very short time. Four months has been interesting to this point. So far, it means a weird sleep schedule, an aversion to naps, the ability to grab and gnaw on things (but only with a lot of help and attention from mama), lots of smiles and laughs, striking interest in own feet, and a mama who wishes every day went just a little more slowly. Oh, how wonderful she is! This developmental moment in her life requires my full attention. I tried to bring her to work over the last 10 days or so, and it was a complete disaster every time. She's just so interested in every little thing right now and simply cannot interact with the world on her own yet. Soon, too soon, she will be sitting up and playing with toys independently. That will make my life easier in a sense, but I'm just not ready for her to be that baby yet. I'm still loving this little baby that needs me to guide her in play every time.
Today she turned the pages of a book -- forward and backward -- watching the pages flip this way and that. Her little brain was working, I could see it doing its magic. And she gets so tired, but really doesn't want to stay asleep. There is just too much out there calling her name, ready for baby absorption! So we are working on good naps and good night sleeping. Baby girl has always been a pretty good sleeper, so this inconsistent nighttime business is hard to adjust to. But we are, and we will conquer!
We spend a little time each day working out our muscles in preparation for crawling. Tummy time is now a lot more exciting because baby girl can actually make work out goals. Like getting these plastic keys in her mouth!
Sweet girl slept in her crib for the first time last night. She was a champ! Kept her same routine and didn't seem fazed by the change. Mama, on the other hand, was sad to look at the empty bassinet. She is now napping in her crib for the second day in a row! I took this super sleuth picture of her nap, but due to no flash and holding the camera over my head from some distance away, it came out fuzzy.
Just a quick post to say how joyful we are today. Last night mama had an epiphany regarding naps, playtime and making the most of our days. Today has been full of stimulation and good naps for the little monkey. I am documenting our schedule to see what works and what doesn't. Hopefully over the next few weeks we will come up with a routine that works for both of us. (I am not a routine person by nature, so this is a challenge for mama more than baby. Baby wants a routine! She must take after her dad.) I am going to try to finish a project this afternoon while she is off in dreamland...
Here is a quick photo from today. She has learned to SPLASH in her tubby. Oh my goodness the kitchen floor is wet!
After our trip to the pumpkin patch, I whipped up a butternut squash soup. These soups can be more savory or more sweet depending on your taste. We typically enjoy adding apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and curry for a spicy sweet flavor. Now I am doing some cathartic baking after a long day at the office -- oatmeal cookies, yum!
Today we started a new tradition -- picking out our fall pumpkins at a local pumpkin patch. I love family traditions! It was a chill 22 degrees last night, so we bundled our little darling up to head out to the orchard and check out some gourds. Fall fashions provided by paternal grandmother (sweet knitted purple sweater) and Angela (rainbow legwarmers) --- both very handy on this fall day!
Her dad helped her pick out her first pumpkin. It was nice and small -- and kind of warty! We love it. (Mostly, we love HER.)
There are several family traditions that our respective families have developed over the years that I want us to keep for our own. My family always opens one gift on Christmas Eve, and it is always new pajamas to wear that evening in preparation for our morning celebration. His family has developed a habit of snacking on various unique and delicious cheeses with yummy fresh bread on Christmas Eve. New PJs and loads of fancy cheese -- what can possibly beat that combo?
If it is any indication, I am sitting in front of the computer eating Butter Pecan ice cream straight out of the container. Last night I finished the book-based family movie "Where the Red Fern Grows" and wept inconsolably for five minutes after the dogs died. (I should have known better -- I cried when I read the book in 4th grade.) I wake up full of ideas and have the energy to complete maybe half of one idea. (This includes charging the camera batteries -- sorry grandmas and grandpas out there, no pictures today!) It's like my hormones are repeating exactly the same pattern as in early pregnancy. I did make it to the grocery store this afternoon. I think I mainly got it done because I knew I would be purchasing this ice cream. And what delicious ice cream it is! Pause for a bite.
Baby girl is napping. Husband is in the garage working on his bicycle while our crazy dog "assists." Napping was still the theme this week for baby girl. She just does not like to doze off at my office. I'm contemplating a wacky schedule where I go into the office between 6 and 8am to work on projects, come home and hang with baby girl during the day, then see clients after 5pm, when possible. We'd still go into work in the afternoons when needed, but that way she could get her sleep. I just feel like a torture artist when we go to work, she doesn't sleep, and by 6pm she is a complete wreck of a munchkin. So tired she can't see straight, but unable to go down for the night at that time. It's a work in progress!
When I get the camera batteries charged, I will post some updated 15 week pictures of our little love monkey. She is nearing the 4 month mark. It is so hard to believe! So hard to believe she has to go in again for SHOTS in the next couple of weeks. If my emotions are still in this state, it will be a big mess for the whole family. I watched a baby get shots on TV the other day and burst into tears...PTSD.
Until the batteries are charged...
Saturday, October 3, 2009
I thought I would be able to write something new everyday, but this was one of those weeks where it just wasn't possible. Between Junior League meetings, trying to run a small business, the actual work for my clients, managing the house, having company and, of course, loving and caring for a 3 month old...there just wasn't time! Baby girl was full of mischief this week as we try to figure out her nap schedule. Now that she is three months with an amazing growing brain and body, we want to be sure that she gets the sleep she needs. (Also, without it, she is a baby crab apple.) So this week was full of attempts at finding that perfect naptime routine. Websites dedicated to baby sleep indicate she should be getting about 10 hours at night and 5 during the day. Baby girl now goes to sleep around 8pm, sometimes waking at 2 am for a snack, sometimes not. She slept through the night, more or less, two or three times this week, which was pretty exciting. Last night, however, she slept half the night, then decided to get up for a two-hour free-for-all, much to her daddy's chagrin.
Day-napping is more complicated. I look forward to the day when 1pm rolls around and , like clockwork, her little eyes droop in naptime readiness. Instead, since she is such an alert, eager baby, she pushes herself to stay awake in order to chat, play and absorb anything and everything around her. Thus, her afternoon naps have been hit or miss. As a tiny baby, I could easily get her to sleep three hours in the afternoon. Now it takes swaddling and shushing to get her down for a couple of hours, with the hope that it will last just one more hour to make three. The afternoon nap is essential as that is the best opportunity for me to work for my clients. Sometimes she can nap at the office, sometimes she can't. Needless to say, when she doesn't get at least a few hours of sleep during the day, she becomes irritable and less likely to go down easily in the evening.
Mornings are my absolute favorite time of day with my baby girl. We usually get up and spend some time nursing and playing, then head out for a walk or jog. She often dozes off while we motor around the neighborhood with our "Bob" stroller. We get home, and I nurse her again, maybe eat, then grab a shower. She will often doze in her swing or bouncy seat while I am in the shower. Morning naps are easy to achieve compared to the big afternoon snooze. They just seem to fit into our schedule naturally. The afternoon nap requires planning and effort, which we don't always seem to master.
Despite a rough night with the munchkin, we woke up ready to love and play with her. We went for a long walk around the neighborhood and down to the nearby grocery store for some fresh bread. We had lunch with family, then Husband headed off to volunteer his time for the Fresh Hop Ale Festival -- a fabulous festival if there ever was one -- and baby girl is finally, finally down for her afternoon nap, leaving me a little time to write this update. Here are some photos of our morning.
Baby girl is hitting her three-month growth spurt. The last week or so she has been sleepy and irritable with odd eating habits. She is 13.5 weeks old and really seems like the stereotypical "baby" now, rather than a squidgy little newborn. Her ability to express herself is the most notable change at the moment. Before, it seemed like she had just a handful of modes -- content, crying, sleeping -- now she ranges from gleeful to amused to bored to really, really ticked off. She is constantly talking away. Initially we had to coax her to oooh or gooo, but now she has a great time just telling us how it is. We have a couple of good videos of this action, but we are still figuring out how to load everything on to the computer from the camera. I probably covered that in my last post, but, truly, her verbal abilities crack us up everyday. She is so serious about trying to convey her little thoughts and feelings. Both sets of grandparents will be visiting in October, and I think they will be surprised and charmed by their little granddaughter!
This week baby girl met the Bumbo seat, a new discovery for our family. Last weekend I attended a baby shower where the guest of honor received this magical seat as a gift. I bought baby girl one as soon as I left the shower because it seemed like such a great idea. The seat helps infants strengthen their little core muscles and get used to sitting up. The Bumbo became part of the rotation this week, and baby girl really seems to enjoy it. She has to work a little bit to stay upright, so there is some "effort drool," which appears when she is doing core-strengthening exercises, like tummy time.
This week showed an increase in baby girl's verbal ability. She is quite the chatter-box! She now converses regularly using a variety of lip movements. Her little face is quite expressive, as if we just don't get the importance of all she is trying to convey. We can hardly stand it, she is so dang cute. Baby girl left her dad a nice message at work oooh-ing and goo-ing and oooow-ing and squealing. It is a super fun stage, and we are recording as many videos as we can of her exploits.
We were all a little late getting up this morning. Baby girl found it convenient to mix up her nighttime feedings for entertainment. We weren't quite ready for it! Husband had enjoyed an evening with friends, and I had been out exercising with girlfriends and jog strollers, so we were tired! But who can resist waking up to this cute face...even in the middle of the night.
Today is the first day of fall. Some people are winter/summer people, craving the extreme heat and cold. They like to snow ski, and they like to water ski. I, on the other hand, am a spring/fall lover. (Probably because my sense of balance makes it difficult for me to enjoy these fun summer/winter pastimes.) I prefer the transitional seasons because they are so optimistic. Fall brings cooler weather, golden leaves, early sunsets, and the anticipation of holidays. Fall is cozy and perfect for curling up with a book and a mug of tea; waiting for those first snow flakes to signal winter has arrived. Fall whispers that winter is right around the corner in a way that winter will never tell us about spring. Spring makes an entrance on its own time, almost in spite of winter. Spring shouts for us to open our windows and air out the cobwebs. Shoots of greenery and wildflowers promise sunny days and warm weather ahead. We all need something to look forward to. I am looking forward to making hearty soups, carving pumpkins, smelling smoke in the air, and introducing my baby girl to one of my favorite seasons.
...to avoid work. Being self-employed has its distinct advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is being able to cart your tiny baby around with you everywhere you go, including the office. Another is the ability to decide to just stay home on beautiful, cusp-of-autumn days where it sounds much more appealing to take that tiny baby for a walk outside. As if my little one (facebook, coffee dates, baby-weightloss-planning, myriad household chores, you name it) wasn't enough of a distraction from work, I am now starting this blog. (Mainly for my dad who just discovered high speed Internet and loves getting info about his much cherished granddaughter. ) So here begins our chronicle.
Sweet baby girl born with a ton of hair
Hair is getting a little long...
Ye olde bald spot and mullet tail. Oh dear.
Hey, that baby is sitting up! (Woohoo!) And has a long comb over!
Haven't had a chance yet to get a good back of the head shot, but what an improvement!
And it is light, fluffy and back to curling again, which I LOVE.
Ye olde bald spot and mullet tail. Oh dear.
Hey, that baby is sitting up! (Woohoo!) And has a long comb over!
Haven't had a chance yet to get a good back of the head shot, but what an improvement!
And it is light, fluffy and back to curling again, which I LOVE.
