Twenty Three Weeks!

 

Weight: I'm guessing anywhere between 13 1/2 and 14 pounds at this point.

Sleep: The blissful full nights of sleep have come to a screeching halt! I'm blaming it on a growth spurt, because she's been up every three hours feeling especially ravenous it seems. Aside from the growth spurt messing up her sleep pattern, poor sweet baby has come down with her first cold :( Poor babe can hardly breathe through that little nose when lying down! Anyway, that's certainly been upsetting as well, so our sleep is kind of all over the place. The one thing we continue to be grateful for is that when she gets up to eat in the middle of the night, she eats and goes right back to sleep -- she's no night owl!

Medical Issues: Not really a medical issue, but as I just mentioned, Lizzie girl has her first cold. I always swore I'd never be that mommy with a snotty baby, but, alas, it seems to be near impossible to prevent it when they have a cold! But I do my best -- whenever I went to see her at daycare, I came armed and ready to clean up that little nose. Aside from looks, having gunk under your nose can't feel very good, can it? Poor baby. Anyway, her runny nose is accompanied by a sad cough, and it's hard for her to breathe. We plan to invest in a humidifier to put in her room to help with the congestion, but for now we've (er, Andy has) tried using the suction bulb to help clear her little nose out, as well as steaming up the bathroom with a hot shower and bringing her in to help her clear out. I know a little girl in her classroom had a nasty cold last week, so that's probably where she picked it up. Sadly, a little boy went home with the flu today in her classroom... here's to hoping that one doesn't follow us home!

Clothes: I'm eating my words -- last week I said I didn't think she'd be getting into her 3 to 6 month sizes anytime soon and that her 0 to 3 months were perfect, but a week (and a growth spurt) can make quite a difference! She seems to have bulked up a little, and she's getting that "muscle man" look she got when we decided to move her up in size from newborn to 0 to 3 month clothes a few months ago. She's kind of in an in-between right now -- her 0 to 3 are starting to get snug, but almost all of her 3 to 6 month is still too big.

Socialite!: Last weekend, baby girl got her first Fleet Farm Toyland experience! It was epic. I have a feeling it will become a bit of a tradition for us to look around there when it first opens, just like I did with my family growing up :)

Over the weekend, we ventured to Fargo for a family wedding. Baby girl got to hang out with all of her cousins, aunts and uncles on my side, and also got to see some great aunts and uncles as well. She was an awesome wedding-goer and traveler! So happy and content the whole time :) I even got to sit through the wedding for once!

Diet: Still nursing Lizzie exclusively (lucky mommy -- even after I've gone back to work!).

Baby Gear Love: Still loving books, her Snugabunny Swing and also the Fisher Price Go Baby Go 1-2-3 Crawl Along Snail -- she honestly cannot get enough of that silly snail!

Crying: She is one sweet baby. She's only fussy if she's hungry or tired :)

Mommy News: Still very contemplative about if and when I'd like to stop nursing. After my last post, I got some really awesome messages from other mommies who shared their experiences with it and I am so appreciative of them. Everyone's thoughts truly gave me some really great, different perspectives on the whole thing. I also had a really good discussion about it with my sister-in-law over the weekend that I felt was very helpful. I can't say I've really made a decision about the whole thing, but that's fine -- what's the rush or the use in deciding on a hard, fast date for it?

Milestones: She's starting to develop a bit more strength when it comes to sitting up. By no means is she close to sitting up on her own, but she can balance there for a few seconds before flopping in one direction or another. She's babbling like crazy now at times, and she's also pretty easy to get a good giggle (or belly laugh!) out of :) She's also doing an awesome job of standing up next to our ottoman without any assistance (we put her there in the first place, of course, and keep our hands close by to catch her if she falls) -- girl's got some strong legs!

Twenty Two Weeks!

 

Weight: I did the 'ol weight check last Friday where I step on the scale without her, then with her, and do the math. I was incredibly surprised to learn that the difference was a whopping 13 and a half pounds -- wowza! Definitely higher than I'd expected (though I had a sneaking suspicion it might be pretty high... she has been feeling heavier and heavier lately). That means she's gained two pounds since her appointment a month ago!

Sleep: Lizzie continues to be a nighttime sleepin' champ. She sleeps clear through the night most nights, from 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. (when we wake her on school days). She has been up once at night a couple of times to eat, but I think she might be going through a growth spurt. Her naps continue to be pretty light (as day care loves to tell me), but she's a happy girl most of the time, so it doesn't seem to affect her too much.

In other sleep news... we've finally made the switch from sleeping in the bassinet to sleeping in her crib for nighttime. I decided to make the switch for a few reasons. One: she was definitely beginning to outgrow it, and we started to worry about her getting her face smushed up against the sides (which would be very bad and very sad). Two: I've read that it's around six months that babies begin becoming more sensitive to and aware of being alone, so any major sleep location changes with relation to mom and dad should  happen before then (or else you could have a baby monster on your hands!). So I knew it was time. And three: with Lizzie sleeping so nicely through the night, I no longer had the excuse that she had to be next to the bed so I could easily feed her when she needed it.

Medical Issues: Nada :)

Clothes: Still hangin' out in the 0 to 3 month clothes. I don't think we'll be breaking out of those anytime soon -- possibly due to length, but she's got a lot of Baby Gap stuff, which seems to run a little longer, so her 0 to 3 stuff is perfect, and the 3 to 6 month stuff is huge right now.

Socialite!: Lizzie got to hang out with her Great Aunt Sue and her cousins, Hailey and Madison, last weekend when they came to visit. She's spent some time with her Grandmas and Grandpas, her Auntie Jenny, and her Great Grandma and Grandpa O'Brien. She also got to see her Great Grandpa Jack when he came through last week. Other than that, just hanging out with her daycare buddies. She did get to make an appearance back at the Y's drop-in childcare last week over MEA when I went to work out one morning. She seemed excited to see some old familiar faces :)

Diet: Still nursing Lizzie exclusively (lucky mommy -- even after I've gone back to work!).

Baby Gear Love: Baby is loving books lately! Especially Llama Llama books :) We went to the library over MEA and got her a whole slew of books, and we can certainly tell what her favorites are!

Crying: She is one sweet baby. She's only fussy if she's hungry or tired :)

Mommy News: This week was a tough one for momma. Moving from the bassinet to the crib as hard on me, which I knew it would be and is probably why I put it off for so long. I definitely shed some tears the first two nights I did it. The room felt so empty, and I could just feel that she was missing even with the lights turned off. I'm real sentimental and sensitive, so I get all, "Last night was the last night she'll sleep next to the bed in her bassinet. Ever. And I didn't even think about it and cherish it." I'm a softie. It's also another indicator that she's just one step further from needing me -- which is a good thing! But I think it's kind of hard. Now it's fine, of course, and I'm bragging her up with how great she's done with transitioning (um, like nothing ever changed)!

Another change that might be coming is my decision to continue to nurse or not. My goal has been six months, which is fast approaching -- so I'm considering weaning at that point, but haven't completely decided yet. I've asked some friends at work how they felt when they decided to stop nursing, and they all said they felt fine about it. My main question was (and still is) this: were you sad when you stopped? Because I feel like I'll be sad when I do decide to stop. And when is the "right" time to stop? I know it's a personal thing, so that's more rhetorical than anything -- but I don't think I know where that point is for myself yet. Either way, I hadn't anticipated all these emotions that go with the decision to wean and when to do so.

In other mommy news, I spent my first real full day away from my sweet baby last Saturday. My mom, grandma, sister and I all went to Minneapolis for a matinee showing of Wicked (soooo awesome!) and a little bit of shopping. We left around nine and I requested we be home by eight that night so I could rock Lizzie to sleep :) It was such a fun day and I'm so lucky to have such wonderful women in my life! But that sweet girl of mine was never far from my mind at any point. Even in the middle of the musical, I was wondering what she was doing with daddy. But Andy did an amazing job taking care of her all day, and she was all smiles when I returned home. Nothing better than seeing that sweet, smiley face when I walk in the door :)

Milestones: We are just loving those toes these days! She finds them constantly -- even when her feet are covered with her footie jammies! She also seems "dangerously" close to rolling over at times... we'll see. She really turns her head when people are talking now, too. Lizzie keeps a close eye on everyone and what's happening all the time. She's also started to be affected by one taking away a toy she likes, which is kind of funny. We went to the opening of Fleet Farm's Toyland and she cried whenever we moved a particular toy out of her sight that she liked watching and listening to. In the talking realm, we're pretty sure she accidentally said "helloooo" one  night when she was repeating sounds/words my dad was saying. A child prodigy! ;) We also noticed that she will, at times, mimic motions we do as well. Andy was putting up his arms tonight a few times, and she would do just the same as him :)

Twenty One Weeks!

 

Weight: My best guess is between 12.5 and 13 pounds at this point. All I know is this: she's definitely heavier. I don't think I really need to go to the Y anymore -- squatting down to pick things up is plenty of work while holding her!

Sleep: Big news! I think we're out of our sleep slump... hooray! Out of the blue one night, she magically slept entirely through without warning. I woke at quarter to six with my alarm clock, and she hadn't made a peep the entire night. That pattern continued for three nights straight (bedtime around 7:30, us waking her around 6:30), at which point she broke the streak and started waking around 3:00 to eat a couple nights (er, mornings). Last night, though, she was back to her full-night schedule. It's somewhat bittersweet, which may sound crazy. I'd forgotten how great a full night of sleep feels (hadn't had one in a year at this point!), which is awesome, but I do miss our nighttime dates where I got to snuggle her in the still of the night. Although, I doubt they're over for good ;)

Medical Issues: Nada :)

Clothes: 0 to 3 month is where we're at still. I doubt we'll be growing out of it too soon, either -- doesn't look that way, anyway.

Socialite!:Lizzie's cousins came to visit last weekend, so she spent a lot of time outside in the beautiful fall weather watching them play and walking around outside (er, someone holding her while they walk around outside). She loves to watch them play! Baby girl also attended a Stella and Dot party last week, where she got to see some of my coworkers again -- she even wore her necklace onesie to fit in perfectly with the party's theme :) Unfortunately, it was at the end of the daycare day, so she was in need of a nap. That's okay, though -- she did well for a good chunk of time before we made our exit and she fell asleep and snuck a nap in on the way home :)

  Diet: Still nursing Lizzie exclusively (lucky mommy -- even after I've gone back to work!).

Baby Gear Love: Right now, we're big fans of our Bright Starts Activity Bar on our car seat again. She's started to bat at the things on the bar, rather than just stare at and talk to them.

Crying: She is one sweet baby. She's only fussy if she's hungry or tired :)

Mommy News: As mentioned previously, baby girl has begun to sleep through the  night (for the most part). From what I've read, for nursing mommies like myself, this signifies the point at which you can no longer count on nursing to be your natural fertility blocker. This is, of course, a sore subject for me because of all the trouble we had getting pregnant -- so, to tell you the truth, this is another reason why Lizzie sleeping through the night is bittersweet. I'm afraid of the extreme disappointment I'll feel when my body doesn't return to the fertile state -- because, call me a Negative Nancy, but I'm pretty skeptical that anything will change from my pre-pregnancy self in terms of fertility. Not that I'm saying we're trying again, or that I'm not happy with how things are -- so not true! -- it's just that the stab of infertility is one I'd rather not be reminded of anytime soon (or ever again!). Anyway, that's been in the back of my mind for the past five months -- but you never know. God could certainly surprise me by making me into a mega-fertile Myrtle. Wouldn't that be insane? Bring it on!

Milestones: Baby's milestones this week include a few new sounds. She's making some amazingly cute high-pitched squeals and has done a couple of "ba" sounds that made me extra-excited! Lizzie also brought her toes to her mouth and sucked on them this week -- but for the most part, she seems to be somewhat apathetic about them, as well as rolling over at this point. She's also really starting to reach for things now -- she'll lean pretty far forward or to the side off your lap to grab at what she's eyein' :)

Twenty Weeks!

Weight: She's a heavy babe! I'm guessing we're over 12 pounds now. I'm having a hard time imagining what it would be like if my 20-week old were heavier than the fifth percentile!

Sleep: We're still working through those night wakings. It's seemed to get better, with her waking up just twice throughout the night for much of the week... until she woke up every two hours the past few nights. Papa Randy (the hubs) suggested we maybe give the rice cereal a go because maybe it would keep her tummy more full, thus reducing the wake-ups. It's a good thought, but I was able to put Lizzie bear back to sleep twice that particular night without picking her up or feeding her -- just by giving back her buddy (our pet name for her pacifier :)) a few times and being patient. So I'm not convinced it's hunger-related, though a couple of times a night I think it is -- but I'm completely okay with that. She needs to eat to grow and get smarter! Milk is food for body and brain growth... so I'll happily keep it comin' on demand.

Medical Issues: Nada :)

Clothes: We're still wearing our 0 to 3 month clothes. I'm beginning to wonder when we might grow out of them. Baby girl stayed in her newborn stuff until she was about three months before moving up in size, so I'm wondering if it'll be six months before she's ready for her 3 to 6 month sizes. The switch-over will happen when she's too long, which could be coming in the next couple of weeks -- but so far, those 0 to 3 month clothes are the perfect fit.

I do have a question for the mommies out there regarding winter gear. Did you buy your infant (who wouldn't be playing in the snow!) a warm suit (i.e. a snowsuit, a warm sleeper-style suit) and a warmer winter coat as well? Or just the warm suit? I'm trying to decide if should get Lizzie a winter coat -- I've already got a warm suit for her to put over the outfits she'll have on each day in the car seat. We also have a warm car seat cover that we'll have her covered up in her car seat with.

Socialite!: Little Lizzie got to see all of her aunties, uncles and cousins on my side of the family last weekend because everyone was home to take a great big family picture. We got to put she and Michael, our nephew who is just four weeks younger than Lizzie, together and see how they interact. In all honesty, they don't do much interacting, but soon I'm sure they will. She also loves to watch her older cousins play, which doesn't surprise me because they tell me she loves watching the older kids at her daycare center, too -- but it was fun to be able to see it myself!

We also took Lizzie out to Inspiration Peak, a tall hill that overlooks the area, last weekend with my family and my grandma. Andy was beyond excited to go because he could finally test out the front-pack carrier for her. We've used it before, but only when her head control wasn't as good and she had to face his chest, which she hated. Now, though, her head and neck control is good enough where she can face forward. And I'm not sure who loved it more, but Lizzie was happy for the whole hike, and Papa Rand was beaming. He was ready to hike up and back the hill a few times!

Diet: Still nursing Lizzie exclusively (lucky mommy -- even after I've gone back to work!).

Baby Gear Love: Honestly, there's nothing new that we're truly over-the-moon using right now. She's not quite in love with her Jumperoo just yet, as she's not quite long enough to touch the floor (though it's super awesome that she can sit up on her own in it!), and the Bumbo just isn't that awesome (yet... maybe we'll grow to love it). So our favorite is an old favorite -- her Snuggabunny Swing! She can get a little fussy around suppertime while I'm trying to get supper ready, and if Andy's not around to help with her, she loves to hang out in it. I love it because the mobile rotates and goes up and down, and there's a mirror in the center of the mobile so she can gaze at herself :) She loves it!

Crying: She is one sweet baby. She's only fussy if she's hungry or tired :)

Mommy News: Not much new in the mommy realm... just loving every minute I have with my sweet girl!

Milestones:Where do I even begin this week!? Last week one day, Lizzie's cry suddenly sounded different... older. I think she's losing her baby cry! Honestly, I didn't even know that happens -- which, obviously it does, but I guess I never thought it would be now. I suppose it's just her new baby cry that she lost... now she's on to her big baby cry? Anyway, she also cries less and "complains" more :) She talks in kind of a sad voice, which is pretty cute :)

On that same day, she also blew us out of the water with a new trick! She'd been pretty quiet as far as "talking" goes -- in fact, I'd even gone so far as to research online whether or not it's normal for a chatty baby to suddenly go mute (which isn't surprising that I researched any worry I have if you know me at all). Anyway, we'd figured it was because she was working on something new, so all of her attention and efforts were going toward that. I think we were right, because that night on our way down the hallway to take a bath with baby in just a diaper, she stuck her tongue out and buzzed it. It was definitely the cutest thing we've ever ever ever seen! We, of course, screamed and instantly had the video camera out to record it. She made that little noise non-stop for the next two or three days, but has definitely backed off of it the past few... which is a bummer, because it was so. Dang. Cute!Regardless, a new sound! That's definitely a milestone.

Baby girl has also been playing with her feet more, though she also likes to grab her calves as well. We've also been giving her the opportunity to sit on her own a little... and she does! Well, for five seconds or so... and if we prop her up :) But still. That's mega progress from last week, when she'd just do an instant nose-dive into the floor if you let go of her in the seated position. I can't believe how fast she changes from week to week!