Little Sweet Pea: 2010

9 Months of Mommyhood!

It gets more fun as each milestone and more of Little P's personality comes out! She is definitely a crowd pleaser! As we have been to more social events (can you believe that we can actual go out some?), we've noticed that she is a ham! She also is not a stranger to the camera, and is definitely a poser!

It seems like we've been saying that she'll be walking anytime soon. While the progress seems slow, there is definitely improvement as each day passes.

Her balance is getting better. She can get up from a sitting position. She likes to be standing almost at all times, unless she's eating or sleeping!

She's starting to babble more with sounds like "ba, ba, ba" and using her front teeth to produce sounds. She is associating sounds with words like the "ba, ba" is used when saying bye-bye to people. So, it's not the initial babble that's typical in child language acquisition--we've progressed to the next stage! P's appetite is very good. All the foods I've introduced thus far, she has taken a liking to. She's just a good eater.

Her legs still kick. When she's excited, happy, in a carrier, her legs are always a-going and people notice.

Anyhow, we're still working on the going to sleep without rocking and the nursing business at 2 am. Looking forward to Christmas and the upcoming months and milestones!

Hamming it up at my holiday staff party.

Checking out all the new stuff.

Hanging out with Mommy on a lazy Saturday morning.

Her reaction when Daddy comes home from work and heads upstairs!

Feeding Frenzy

Seems like my posts have centered around P's feeding times. Could be because that's the only time we're together during the week these days. So, lately, she's been playing around when I feed her. She will bite the spoon and grab it. She is really strong! It's hard for me to get it out of her mouth or away from her tiny hand. She really gets my goose, but when she looks at me and gives me that toothy grin, I have to look away and laugh!

She is also blowing raspberries after I spoon in her food. That gets to be real messy. She's a girl who likes to eat, so she must not be too hungry these days. I'm guessing this is all pretty normal. Maybe I should wait to feed her a half hour later to see if that helps.

Oh, and speaking of O's--we bought some of those Happy Baby melt-in-your-mouth O's. They have been a lifesaver! We had been using these teething biscuits but I've been scared to death that she'd choke on them. (It does recommend on the box that it's for 8 months and older). So, when I discovered these O's, we tried it. She loves them, and it keeps her occupied for a lengthy time! RT and I have been able to sit down for a meal together, and I am able to make dinner by putting her in the high chair while she nibbles on her snacks!

What are you looking at?

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Oops...Mommy doesn't look too happy.

Blueberries for Sal, Blueberries for P!

Need I say more?

8-Month Milestone

Another month has crept by and our little girl's personality is emerging very strongly. We notice some traits about her and often those observations are confirmed by Anne, her daycare provider. She will go after "her" toys. Very possessive. We don't notice this at home since she's the only baby. Right now she's the oldest at daycare and has been dubbed the "Queen of the Pond".

Some of her milestones include:

standing all the time (at times letting go)

walking along the sofa

babbling ba-ba, da-da

big enough to sit in a shopping cart

her two front teeth have come in

saying the sound "esss" a lot

increasing her solid intake, less milk

more aware of mommy & daddy

laughs at our funny faces and sounds

more feisty in general

crawling quickly across the floor

in the last day or so, she's been making this high-pitched squeal

She has a lot of energy and stamina! It's going to be tough keeping up with her once she starts walking. I hope that I have the strength and stamina when that happens.

She's so fun, and we absolutely love it when she recognizes us and smiles. It just melts your heart!

Going Going Going

I'm sure I've said it before but as soon as I wake up, I'm always on the go. The only time I can slow down or unwind is usually in the wee hours of the late night. Lately, I've been settling down around 10:30pm and making it to bed between 11:30pm and midnight. Unfortunately, 5am creeps up pretty quickly. Yesterday, as I progressed through my day, I began to mentally record all my tasks even before I made it out the door.

So, this is how my day begins:

Alarm goes off and so do I!

Put drops in my ear [fighting an ear infection]
Make coffee
Unload the dishwasher
Prepare baby's bottles for daycare
Make breakfast for RT & me
Pack lunch
Baby wakes up, nurse baby
Prepare baby's diaper bag for daycare
Feed the dog
Change baby
Play with baby
Take shower
Iron my clothes
Get dressed
Gather all my stuff for work
Eat breakfast [cold]
Grab coffee and go
Drive to work
Arrive at work and decompress a little
Work, work, work
Pick up baby from daycare
Drive home
Deposit check at the bank
Stop by grocery store
Arrive home
Carry everything into the house
Get mail
Grab garbage, recycle cans
Greet dog
Play with baby
Unpack bottles
Wash bottles
Change baby
Prepare baby's food
Feed baby
Bathe baby
Play with baby
Nurse baby
Eat dinner
Rock baby to sleep
Unpack baby's diaper bag
Wash diapers
Chop veggies & fruit
Steam veggies & fruit
Make baby food
Wash dishes
Pay bills
Watch tv to unwind
Get ready for bed
Put drops in my ear
Go to bed

All in a day's work! Whew! I'm exhausted just proof-reading this...

We can get a little reprieve when she amuses herself in the playpen.

Hats, Hats, & More Hats

Laundry Again...Seriously???

I'm sure all moms can relate...doesn't it seem like laundry is your life? I don't mind doing the laundry, folding laundry is actually very relaxing as well. It's the putting away of clothes that I loathe. Someone was trying to help me by scattering the very carefully folded clothes. I gave up and just put her in the middle of it!

Party: My Crib @ 3 a.m.

Sacked out. The late night partying takes it toll...

This is what is has been like for the past 3 weeks or so. Since Little P had her back-to-back colds/congestion/runny nose for the past month, I think this is why she has been getting up a few times throughout the night. It has been a sorry state of affairs for mommy dearest's sleep patterns. Since her crib is up in our bedroom, I've been getting up as soon as I hear her cry. I pick her up and put her on my chest to sleep. Everytime I put her back in her crib, she sits back up and refuses to sleep! I don't want to wake RT up, so I take her back into bed with me and let her sleep in between us. I know. I know. Bad idea. Really bad.

On top of that, she's been waking up at 3 a.m., wanting to be fed. Have you seen our little girl? She can stand to go without an additional feeding! I've been so lazy and tired that I've just been nursing her in bed. She eventually falls asleep and then 5 a.m. brutally comes knocking on my door pretty quick!

Well, now that the antibiotics have kicked in, her breathing is better and shouldn't interrupt her sleep, but I think she's gotten used to this schedule.

Also, because she has been standing up in her crib, I have been hesistant to let her "cry" or "soothe" herself because I was afraid that I'd fall asleep waiting and then she'd stand up and fall out! RT finally lowered her crib, so all is safe again.

Tonight, I am going to try and let her cry it out. RT is sleeping downstairs and since I've got the next couple of days off, who needs sleep? Hopefully we can re-adjust to the oh-so-heavenly pattern of sleeping through the night!

Let the games begin!

Lucky 7

All clean!

Daddy bought her a new toy!

Skyping with Obachan.

At daycare hanging out...

Our little girl is growing up so fast. And, she has to do everything so quickly! There are many firsts in her life, obviously, but she seems to want to do things in a hurry. What we've noticed, and what others have shared with us (which confirms our suspicions and doesn't make us feel as biased), is that she's definitely a go-getter. Bound and determined, and nothing is stopping her. Some of her milestones in the past month and up until recently include:

Sitting up on her own.
Laughing at us without us physically touching/tickling her.
Clucking sound with her tongue, trying to copy Daddy.
Started drinking water.
Experienced rain.
Crawling--army crawl to get toy away from Ben.
Rolling over in the changing table and fighting to stay turned over.
Runny nose that never seems to go away! (It's been about a month now, is this normal?
Playing independently in her playpen.
Likes when stuffed animals “talk” to her.
Trying to stand on her own a couple weeks ago, by now she is grabbing ahold of something and standing on her own! (Way too early for that...babyproofing is on our to-do list this weekend!)

First Bites, Part III

We're still at the stage where we're just trying the mild, easier to digest foods. Depending on which resource you read, it seems everyone has different opinions. The route I took was to introduce the foods with the yellow and orange colors. So far, Little P seems to like food. She definitely likes her rice cereal!

It has been so fun to make her food and witness her reaction to the first bites.

The one book I've been referring to is called Organically Raised: Conscious Cooking for Babies & Toddlers. She makes a good point about making your baby's food fresh and not freezing them into the ice cube trays. Do you want to eat frozen, thawed out food every night? Another good comment a friend pointed out was that we're teaching P to like fresh food.

I was hand-mashing her food, but figured with some veggies, I need a finer strain. So, I went out and bought a food mill. Right now, it's fun, and I look forward to making her meals. There is something to making her food that evokes a tender emotion within me as I'm peeling the skin off the pear or mashing up a banana. Even better, seeing the vibrant bright colors of the produce and their freshness and knowing there are no pesticides, it gives me hope that we are giving her a "leg up" for her health and wellness. It's working out well so far. Belonging to a CSA helps so we can use the fresh produce towards her meals. We'll see how things progress and how much time I can keep dedicating to this.

[Sweet Potato]
Hmm...not sure if I like this!

[Bananas]

Hmmm...this one is better! Everything tastes better when you're camping!

[Yams]
Mmm...yammy!

[Pears]
Why are you taking pictures of my food?

[Peas]
Do you think she likes peas?

Ladybug Ladybug Fly Away Home

I started cleaning out some of Lil P's clothes to make room for the new wave of clothes at this stage. One of my favoriite newborn outfits was this ladybug one. I was pleased to discover that a recent gift from one of my mom's friends was the same ladybug pattern, but it was in the 9 month-old size. So, I thought it'd be fun to do a little comparing!

It's hard to believe she was that little not too long ago.

She's A Happy Camper☺

Little P did such a great job when we camped. She and I spent a lot of time in the back of the bus. RT had put some pretty thick foam to cushion the back, so it was like having a playpen where she could just hang out and have fun. Plus, with Mommy so near, what more could a baby want?

I think being in the fresh outdoor air was a nice change of pace for her. She slept pretty well throughout the night. It was pretty tight quarters sleeping all together in the bus, but she probably loved it having us both on either side of her! (Hopefully, she won't get used to that!!).

We kept it pretty close to home--a few miles away at Montana de Oro, in case we had to go home for whatever reason. We had such a good time and felt so proud of ourselves for having ventured out with her that we're already planning another one in a few weeks to Big Sur--a little further away from home.

The love of the outdoors for Little P starts...now!

First Bites, Part II

The next food Lil P tried was yogurt. I know that you're not supposed to give babies yogurt until they're at least six months old because of the live cultures and such. I also read elsewhere that yogurt is a good food to try first (after rice cereal) because it's fairly neutral.

When she first tasted yogurt, it was quite sour. She did the pucker face and the shake, but continued to open her mouth for more. She really liked it!

We gave her yogurt for a few more days (only about 2 teaspoons each time), but decided to hold off for another month or so after hearing some rumbling in her tummy. While it's probably okay to continue with the yogurt, we'll just try some vegetables and fruit next. So, stay tuned for the next "first bite"!

Oh Six Months of Sunshine

I think I say this every month how the time goes by so fast. Our little baby has fast approached the 6-month milestone. Some of the things I've noticed this past month include:

Starting solid food.
Sitting up by herself.
Starting to crawl, up on all fours and rocking back and forth to go forward.
Laughing at us as we act goofy.
Fake coughing to get our attention (so cute!).
Has a fascination with clocks.
Bottom two teeth have sprouted all the way through.

General observations abour her include others commenting on her happy disposition--such a happy baby! She's an easy baby. She's a busy girl, so alert. She doesn't want to miss anything (code for "nosy").

It seems her growth is leveling out. In the beginning, she was measuring in the 80-90th percentiles, but now I think she's probably more average. She probably weighs around 17 pounds.

She's a spunky little girl, and we are loving every moment of our Little Sweet Pea!

What's A Mom To Do

Milk Station

Well, by now I've shared the trials and tribulations of being back in the hospital for this small bowel obstruction. This leads to the next dilemma of nursing the baby. I was already having trouble keeping my milk supply up to satisfy our growing baby. Even though she's starting to eat rice cereal, she still needs just as much milk. Now, being in the hospital with no food or water for 40 hours, plus being dehydrated didn't help me much. I was able to pump while in the hospital, but because I was doped up, it was pump and dump. We had to resort to formula. As much as I didn't want to, there was nothing we could do. I didn't have enough reserves in the freezer to tide us over. At least we were able to get the organic formula, but still the guilt weighed heavy on my mind.

We used the formula for about 2 weeks. I am producing enough to satifsy the days when we're home together, but still can't get ahead especially to freeze enough to take to day care. Arghhh!!! It's so frustrating.

I remember first starting out. Breastfeeding was and is such a challenging part of being a new mom. Thankfully, from the beginning, Little P was able to switch back and forth between breast and bottle like a champ. I had to start pumping right away when she was first born because of possible infection (ouch!). I remember thinking, if only I can make it to three months. Then, if only I can make it to six months since that's the recommended timeframe. It's definitely gotten easier. Now, my goal is to make it to one year. Since, she has two little teeth on the bottom, it can get hairy, but so far no major injuries (fingers crossed!).

The worst part about nursing is the pumping at work. At my work, we have only one bathroom and it's co-ed. That's the only "private" place for me to pump. I HATE it! At this point, only five and half months to go...

First Bites

The Throne

Not a happy camper, at first...

aahh..much better!

I know the American Pediatrics Assoc. recommends that babies are breastfed exclusively for 6 months...well our little one was ready! I debated back and forth as to whether or not we should start. All the signs pointed to her being ready: head held upright and really strong, watching us eat, grabbing for our food, and breastfeeding soley doesn't seem to satisfy her completely at times (meanwhile my supply isn't meeting her demand...stress...stress). The flip side is that we open up a whole can of worms, poopy diaper smells will change, more messy, more prep work for day care. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to making all (or most) of her food, the anticipation of what she will like or dislike, there will be less pressure for me to produce milk, and best of all I can possibly stop pumping at work or at least pump less. Hooray!

RT agreed with me that she was ready. That was all the go-ahead I needed. So, we busted out the rice cereal and got it pretty runny. It almost seemed too runny, but we thought it was her first try with "solids" so we can take it very slow.

She devoured the rice cereal. We probably gave her a total of 2-3 teaspoons worth. She had no trouble swallowing and was eager for more. It was so cute to watch her. It was definitely messy (since it was so runny), but for the most part, she got it down the hatch. I have a feeling this little girl will be a good eater!

We're so excited to start this new chapter of development with Little P! Now the next debate is, what will we introduce next? Stay tuned to find out...

Life With a Five Month-Old

Hanging out in the garden.

Each month it seems that the time goes by faster and faster. Everyday is a new opportunity to learn more about our little one. Her personality is definitely emerging. Some of the things we've observed this month are: She is really strong. She likes to kick her legs a lot (I think she takes after her daddy in that respect!). She is starting to sit up on her own. When she wants something, she lets us know, usually by grunting and inching her way upward especially while on the changing table. She's definitely looking around a lot, observing her surroundings and soaking it all in. She seems to have a fascination with clocks (her great-grandfather on RT's side was a clock connoisseur!). She is talking, babbling a lot. She gets a lot of attention anywhere we go. We usually have her in a carrier (she doesn't like the stroller too much and it's too bulky to tote along most of the time). A lot of people comment on her kicking legs. She has earned the nickname "Kicky Longstocking".

Overall, she is a happy baby. She definitely brings a bottomless depth of happiness into our life!

Is Your Mama A Llama?

Little P is at the age where she definitely recognizes and knows her mama! I have to admit, it is quite flattering to have a little one always tracking your every move or get a sad, pouty face when her mama leaves the room. My mom laughed at me one day when we were Skyping. She said, "What do you two do all day...you're always together!"

Ain't that the truth! I definitely act silly when we're together, and I'm always trying to make her laugh or try to evoke new expressions on her face. I love this time when we're together by ourselves. I am absolutely cherishing every moment together. Everyone always says it goes by fast, and I'm finding out that it does. Time is a precious thing.

Happy 4 Months!

The time seems to have flown by...I remember thinking while I was pregnant that I would be bored or wondered how I would fill my days with a little infant. Boy, was I sure disillusioned! My days fly by so fast. I never seem to have enough time for anything, and I'm always in a hurry--huh, seems to be a recurring theme...