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!