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 :)