Pack an extra shirt for Mommy in the diaper bag.
We had Molly's 6-month check-up yesterday and everything is great. However, the medical assistant who took Molly's measurements was new and a little nervous. (She declared Molly to be 70 inches tall and measured her head at an inch less than it was two months ago -- fortunately Molly was patient and let her measure again).
When the assistant took Molly's temperature, somehow the baby peed over the open diaper and onto the exam table underneath. No problem. That's why there's paper there.
So I pick her up to let the woman clean up the puddle and, of course, I feel something warm and wet through my shirt. Silly mommy should know better -- put the diaper on first!
I spent the rest of the appointment hugging a receiving blanket to my waist. (sigh).
The good news is Molly handled her vaccine shots very well, with hardly any crying, and that's the last big round of shots for several months! Yay! She's got little bruises on her thighs this morning, but that's nothing new around here -- she looks just like Daddy after karate.
We had a good night last night. Molly woke up just once and I got her back to sleep without feeding. She's taking a nice, long nap this morning. Maybe I'll take one, too.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sleep? What's that?
Yesterday I pulled up a sleep log I made when Molly was one month old. It made me very sad. Even back then she was sleeping for 4 or 5 hours at a stretch each night. Not any more. She's up every 2 or 3 hours all night long, every night.
The worst nights are the ones when I have trouble falling back to sleep again. One night she woke me up at 11:30 and I was still awake at 1:30 when she woke up again.
Jim and I have been trading shifts the past few nights, which means we're both total zombies but at least I'm not clinically insane ... yet.
In the meantime, good stuff has been happening. Molly is getting better at eating.
I made my first homemade baby food Thursday -- avocado pureed with water until it's really smooth -- and froze it into food cubes. I hesitated about doing avocado as her next food after rice cereal because it's kind of a bitter flavor, but she likes it! I'm so proud! Next up: sweet potato.
We had a big accomplishment Wednesday, too. I left the baby with her daddy for about two hours while I went to a dentist appointment. They did great! Strangely, I didn't feel anxious or anything like that. I was just focused on not falling asleep in the dentist chair.
Molly is getting very good (and adventurous) about pulling herself up on objects. Last night we were playing on the bathroom floor waiting for the tub to fill and she pulled herself up on the tub (with my hands right behind her to catch if she fell, which she does a lot). She spotted the rubber duckies a few inches down on the tub ledge and got excited. She leaned toward them, almost falling over, then figured out to put her feet under her and take little steps to move toward them. That was a first.
Then out of nowhere, after the bath, she figured out how to walk forward with me holding her hands, not just walk backward (as she's been doing for a while). We walked all the way from her changing pad in her room, down the hall, and into the other room to see her daddy at the computer.
And of course, there's this. For the last day or two Molly has been letting her tongue hang out a lot. We don't understand it. We just laugh.
I'm sure there's other stuff, I just don't remember. My goal every day is just to focus on the baby and make sure to keep her safe. That's about all I can manage in this sleep deprived state.
I got all my sleep expert books out again and cursed every one of them. We've cried it out, worked on sleep associations, put the baby down sleepy but awake, nursed extra during the day, put her down without nursing at night, and on and on.
I'm done with it. If the baby's going to wake up, she's going to wake up. I'm trying to focus more on coping strategies for the grown-ups in the household rather than trying to make the baby change. It's much less frustrating that way.
The worst nights are the ones when I have trouble falling back to sleep again. One night she woke me up at 11:30 and I was still awake at 1:30 when she woke up again.
Jim and I have been trading shifts the past few nights, which means we're both total zombies but at least I'm not clinically insane ... yet.
In the meantime, good stuff has been happening. Molly is getting better at eating.
I made my first homemade baby food Thursday -- avocado pureed with water until it's really smooth -- and froze it into food cubes. I hesitated about doing avocado as her next food after rice cereal because it's kind of a bitter flavor, but she likes it! I'm so proud! Next up: sweet potato.We had a big accomplishment Wednesday, too. I left the baby with her daddy for about two hours while I went to a dentist appointment. They did great! Strangely, I didn't feel anxious or anything like that. I was just focused on not falling asleep in the dentist chair.
Molly is getting very good (and adventurous) about pulling herself up on objects. Last night we were playing on the bathroom floor waiting for the tub to fill and she pulled herself up on the tub (with my hands right behind her to catch if she fell, which she does a lot). She spotted the rubber duckies a few inches down on the tub ledge and got excited. She leaned toward them, almost falling over, then figured out to put her feet under her and take little steps to move toward them. That was a first.
Then out of nowhere, after the bath, she figured out how to walk forward with me holding her hands, not just walk backward (as she's been doing for a while). We walked all the way from her changing pad in her room, down the hall, and into the other room to see her daddy at the computer.
And of course, there's this. For the last day or two Molly has been letting her tongue hang out a lot. We don't understand it. We just laugh.
I'm sure there's other stuff, I just don't remember. My goal every day is just to focus on the baby and make sure to keep her safe. That's about all I can manage in this sleep deprived state.I got all my sleep expert books out again and cursed every one of them. We've cried it out, worked on sleep associations, put the baby down sleepy but awake, nursed extra during the day, put her down without nursing at night, and on and on.
I'm done with it. If the baby's going to wake up, she's going to wake up. I'm trying to focus more on coping strategies for the grown-ups in the household rather than trying to make the baby change. It's much less frustrating that way.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Half birthday
Molly is six months old today. Yay!
I had big plans for celebrating, but the big event today is trying to stay awake. Molly's been waking up to eat every night, and last night was particularly harsh -- up at 2, 4, 5 and 7.
I hoped starting her on solid foods would help, but so far it hasn't. She seems to be enjoying the food, though.
She had her first meal (rice cereal with breast milk) Saturday morning. She also had her first teething biscuit courtesy of Lex, who thought of Molly and brought her some homemade biscuits in the shape of letters that spell her name.
I measured her this weekend for the half birthday stats: 18.4 pounds and somewhere around 28 inches long.
Her new tricks from the weekend are that she can lift one arm when she's on her hands and knees. She's also been rolling from tummy to back more often and this afternoon she rolled from her back to tummy (she did that once in her crib, but we hadn't seen her do it since).
In general she's more playful, too. She spent a lot of time yesterday playing with her daddy on Father's Day. She seems to be able to reach for people now, and usually she's reaching for her dad.
OK, baby's asleep. I should be asleep, too.
I had big plans for celebrating, but the big event today is trying to stay awake. Molly's been waking up to eat every night, and last night was particularly harsh -- up at 2, 4, 5 and 7.
I hoped starting her on solid foods would help, but so far it hasn't. She seems to be enjoying the food, though.
She had her first meal (rice cereal with breast milk) Saturday morning. She also had her first teething biscuit courtesy of Lex, who thought of Molly and brought her some homemade biscuits in the shape of letters that spell her name.
I measured her this weekend for the half birthday stats: 18.4 pounds and somewhere around 28 inches long.Her new tricks from the weekend are that she can lift one arm when she's on her hands and knees. She's also been rolling from tummy to back more often and this afternoon she rolled from her back to tummy (she did that once in her crib, but we hadn't seen her do it since).
In general she's more playful, too. She spent a lot of time yesterday playing with her daddy on Father's Day. She seems to be able to reach for people now, and usually she's reaching for her dad.
OK, baby's asleep. I should be asleep, too.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Outdoor entertainment
What do you do with a baby who is bored and fussy, when you've been up twice a night all week and have no energy to do interesting things?
Take her outside.
We've been spending a lot of time on a blanket in the shade. She'll just lie there watching the leaves move on the neighbor's tree, which is amazing because she never just lies anywhere anymore. There's enough going on that finally, finally she'll let me have a break from holding her up in a standing position. (Lately she's gotten really good at refusing to bend at the waist so you can't sit her down).
Here, especially for Aunt Anna, is Molly doing her push-up. Also, she's modeling her newest diaper, my first pocket diaper!
And here she is demonstrating how she lets go of one hand now when she's standing up. (Often she tips over shortly after, but that doesn't stop her from trying again and again).
OK, she's been so good playing by herself on the floor while I'm blogging, I feel I should go play with her now. Enjoy the weekend!
Take her outside.
We've been spending a lot of time on a blanket in the shade. She'll just lie there watching the leaves move on the neighbor's tree, which is amazing because she never just lies anywhere anymore. There's enough going on that finally, finally she'll let me have a break from holding her up in a standing position. (Lately she's gotten really good at refusing to bend at the waist so you can't sit her down).Here, especially for Aunt Anna, is Molly doing her push-up. Also, she's modeling her newest diaper, my first pocket diaper!
And here she is demonstrating how she lets go of one hand now when she's standing up. (Often she tips over shortly after, but that doesn't stop her from trying again and again).
OK, she's been so good playing by herself on the floor while I'm blogging, I feel I should go play with her now. Enjoy the weekend!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Silly tricks
I finally got a photo of this -- Molly sucking on her toes. Sometimes she gets both feet in at once.
Poor little girl woke up around 11:30 last night, just as the thunderstorm was rolling in to break the heat. Earlier in the evening, her daddy rocked her to sleep and reports that she fell asleep upright, holding herself up with her hand on his chest!
The other big news of the week is I left Molly with my neighbor and her boys while I went to pick up lunch for us. It was totally unplanned -- I just handed the baby to her without even a hat on her head and got in the car. I was gone only about 15 minutes, but it felt like forever! I rushed into her house expecting to rescue my crying baby. There was Molly sitting on in her lap with the boys gathered around her, happy as can be. I was so relieved (and secretly a little disappointed that she didn't need me as much as I thought).
New tricks: I've witnessed Molly roll over from tummy to back three times now. Also, I saw her once go from sitting on her bum to holding herself up on hands and knees without falling on her face first -- big improvement! She's also been reaching for things to hold herself up when standing, such as her crib or the ottoman. And sometimes she lets go of one hand to reach for a toy. Her balance is getting good -- and I'm getting scared!
Poor little girl woke up around 11:30 last night, just as the thunderstorm was rolling in to break the heat. Earlier in the evening, her daddy rocked her to sleep and reports that she fell asleep upright, holding herself up with her hand on his chest!The other big news of the week is I left Molly with my neighbor and her boys while I went to pick up lunch for us. It was totally unplanned -- I just handed the baby to her without even a hat on her head and got in the car. I was gone only about 15 minutes, but it felt like forever! I rushed into her house expecting to rescue my crying baby. There was Molly sitting on in her lap with the boys gathered around her, happy as can be. I was so relieved (and secretly a little disappointed that she didn't need me as much as I thought).
New tricks: I've witnessed Molly roll over from tummy to back three times now. Also, I saw her once go from sitting on her bum to holding herself up on hands and knees without falling on her face first -- big improvement! She's also been reaching for things to hold herself up when standing, such as her crib or the ottoman. And sometimes she lets go of one hand to reach for a toy. Her balance is getting good -- and I'm getting scared!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Hot
Ugh! Another sticky day in the 90s.
We had a sweaty weekend in our house. It's no fun to breastfeed a baby when it's so hot and muggy that it's unpleasant to touch another person. It made both of us irritable.
I'm so glad she's beyond the newborn phase when she used to stay latched on for a half hour or more at every feeding. At least now it's relatively short.
Our big break from the heat was Saturday when we went to the dojo for a kick-a-thon to raise money for the earthquake victims in China. Here's Molly helping her daddy kick.
She had a great time playing on the padded floors. Mommy had a good time eating cake and cookies in the air conditioned dojo.
Molly's new trick is to hold herself up on her hands and toes, as if she's about to do a push-up. She's also learning to pull herself up to (almost) standing using whatever's in front of her. She almost launched herself onto her face this morning at play group trying to stand herself up on an alligator piano. Silly baby.
We had a sweaty weekend in our house. It's no fun to breastfeed a baby when it's so hot and muggy that it's unpleasant to touch another person. It made both of us irritable.
I'm so glad she's beyond the newborn phase when she used to stay latched on for a half hour or more at every feeding. At least now it's relatively short.
Our big break from the heat was Saturday when we went to the dojo for a kick-a-thon to raise money for the earthquake victims in China. Here's Molly helping her daddy kick.
She had a great time playing on the padded floors. Mommy had a good time eating cake and cookies in the air conditioned dojo.
Molly's new trick is to hold herself up on her hands and toes, as if she's about to do a push-up. She's also learning to pull herself up to (almost) standing using whatever's in front of her. She almost launched herself onto her face this morning at play group trying to stand herself up on an alligator piano. Silly baby.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Scooting backwards
So this morning I put Molly down on her blanket in our bedroom to play. This is our morning routine. I set her down just outside the bathroom door and she plays while I brush my teeth and put in my contacts, etc. Until a week or two ago, I laid her on her back. Lately I've been leaving her sitting up because she doesn't tip over as often. Until today she has always been content to stay there.
This morning, I heard her make this little cough sound she makes, then she was silent. I looked out to make sure she wasn't choking. (My heart almost stopped when I saw her tipped over to her side, but then I saw she was smiling). She rolled onto her belly and started playing on her hands and knees.
She was happy so I left her there as I did little chores around the bedroom. I started taking pictures when I realized she had scooted backward off the blanket and was inching her way ever so slowly across the room.
She was pretty excited, even when she got stuck at the wall. She's never seen the room from that position before.
Meanwhile, my stomach was turning over. This is so exciting and scary at the same time. She's learning to move! She's growing up so fast.
Fortunately we've already stepped up our safety measures. Yesterday I moved her changing pad off the dresser and onto the floor. It's such a relief not to worry about her rolling off. Also, her daddy lowered the crib mattress last night to the lowest setting after we realized that if she were to somehow pull herself up in the crib the bar was only waist high. I got the gate for the stairs out yesterday, too, so we can put it up this weekend.
Life is definitely about to change.
This morning, I heard her make this little cough sound she makes, then she was silent. I looked out to make sure she wasn't choking. (My heart almost stopped when I saw her tipped over to her side, but then I saw she was smiling). She rolled onto her belly and started playing on her hands and knees.
She was happy so I left her there as I did little chores around the bedroom. I started taking pictures when I realized she had scooted backward off the blanket and was inching her way ever so slowly across the room.
She was pretty excited, even when she got stuck at the wall. She's never seen the room from that position before.Meanwhile, my stomach was turning over. This is so exciting and scary at the same time. She's learning to move! She's growing up so fast.
Fortunately we've already stepped up our safety measures. Yesterday I moved her changing pad off the dresser and onto the floor. It's such a relief not to worry about her rolling off. Also, her daddy lowered the crib mattress last night to the lowest setting after we realized that if she were to somehow pull herself up in the crib the bar was only waist high. I got the gate for the stairs out yesterday, too, so we can put it up this weekend.
Life is definitely about to change.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
New photos
I just finished updating photos on our Shutterfly page. The top three albums are new, including photos from the trip this weekend.
I've had tons of time to work on photos today because Molly is crashing from the trip. She's asleep again now, for what is I think her 5th good nap today.
Our one event of the day was a trip to the grocery store. I put her in the shopping cart seat like a big girl. She had a good time. She was so sleepy, though, that I remembered why the infant car seat is so nice -- she can just fall asleep anywhere in it.
If previous trips to Rochester are any guide, Molly's going to wake up any time now and be awake for the rest of the week.
I've had tons of time to work on photos today because Molly is crashing from the trip. She's asleep again now, for what is I think her 5th good nap today.
Our one event of the day was a trip to the grocery store. I put her in the shopping cart seat like a big girl. She had a good time. She was so sleepy, though, that I remembered why the infant car seat is so nice -- she can just fall asleep anywhere in it.
If previous trips to Rochester are any guide, Molly's going to wake up any time now and be awake for the rest of the week.
Road trip
We just got back from a trip to Rochester and Molly had a great time.
We began our trip with a visit to the middle school to see Grammy D, Kendall, Evan, and so many new people. Molly was all smiles.
The next morning we started our day with a trip to the diner with the family. We went to the diner Monday, too. Lucy made Molly feel right at home.
Lucy took Molly for her first soak in the hot tub Saturday (see video here). Molly didn't react much, even when the bubbles were turned on, but I think she enjoyed herself.
Other firsts from the weekend:
* We've started leaving the infant car seat in the car and just carrying Molly around most places. At the diner Saturday morning we put her in a big kid high chair and she sat up just fine -- and loved it -- so now that's where she sits when we eat out.
* We decided not to feed Molly her first solid foods because the weekend was so busy, but we did relax the rules a bit. Sunday night at dinner we let her suck on a strip of orange sweet pepper. That made her happy.
* Grammy D slipped Molly her first sip of water on Sunday. The baby is so obsessed with drinking glasses and cups, it's hard to resist. Grammy gave her an empty red plastic cup and it kept her occupied through an entire shopping trip.
* Molly's getting better at getting her knees under her hips and holding herself up on her hands and knees. She bounces/rocks there, as if she's ready to take off. Last night when we got home she scooted herself backward on her hands and knees and belly all the way off the blanket and as far as she could go across the room until she hit a chair. That's a first!
The funny thing is she hasn't figured out that she can roll from her back to her tummy, so I can still put her down on her back and she doesn't go anywhere. Not sure how long that will last. She seems to be developing new skills by the hour.
We began our trip with a visit to the middle school to see Grammy D, Kendall, Evan, and so many new people. Molly was all smiles.The next morning we started our day with a trip to the diner with the family. We went to the diner Monday, too. Lucy made Molly feel right at home.
Lucy took Molly for her first soak in the hot tub Saturday (see video here). Molly didn't react much, even when the bubbles were turned on, but I think she enjoyed herself.Other firsts from the weekend:
* We've started leaving the infant car seat in the car and just carrying Molly around most places. At the diner Saturday morning we put her in a big kid high chair and she sat up just fine -- and loved it -- so now that's where she sits when we eat out.
* We decided not to feed Molly her first solid foods because the weekend was so busy, but we did relax the rules a bit. Sunday night at dinner we let her suck on a strip of orange sweet pepper. That made her happy.
* Grammy D slipped Molly her first sip of water on Sunday. The baby is so obsessed with drinking glasses and cups, it's hard to resist. Grammy gave her an empty red plastic cup and it kept her occupied through an entire shopping trip.
* Molly's getting better at getting her knees under her hips and holding herself up on her hands and knees. She bounces/rocks there, as if she's ready to take off. Last night when we got home she scooted herself backward on her hands and knees and belly all the way off the blanket and as far as she could go across the room until she hit a chair. That's a first!
The funny thing is she hasn't figured out that she can roll from her back to her tummy, so I can still put her down on her back and she doesn't go anywhere. Not sure how long that will last. She seems to be developing new skills by the hour.
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