sleep, sleep, and more sleep

Oh, blessed sleep!!!!

She's slept through the night for the past three nights. Could anything be better? A happy baby whose schedule I now usually can predict and around seven hours of uninterrupted sleep at night!!!!

Yesterday was a long day--a 2+ hour trip (one way) for Daddy's friend's wedding. The wedding was at 1:30 and the reception wasn't until 6:00! We had almost four hours to kill in between, and in an unfamiliar place with a three month old who has difficulty sleeping away from her own bed, this was a difficult task. She really was as good as she could be, given the circumstances. She slept on and off in the car (she hates her car seat), and behaved VERY well during the wedding and reception, and in between as well, as we hung out at a nearby mall with some of Daddy's old friends. She reached her limit, though, around 8:30 pm, after hardly any sleep all day. We didn't get home until almost midnight, and boy was I thankful to deposit her in her crib for some real sleep. She slept without a peep until 6:30 this morning, woke up and ate, and went right back to sleep. And currently she's on nap number 2, which has lasted three hours! She's one sleepy girl!

Here's a picture of Mommy and baby at the reception yesterday. She looked so sweet, all dressed up.

giggles and sleep

The talking has returned, and has ushered in another trick....giggling! Yesterday we were at a friend's house and they have a ceiling fan up in their cathedral ceiling. She was laying on the floor staring up at it, and she started talking to it. While talking to inanimate objects is generally discouraged, I was thrilled to hear her using her vocal cords again (for a more pleasant sound than crying). Later I was playing peekaboo with her, which had her grinning big grins, and suddenly a grin turned into a giggle, and each subsequent peekaboo earned another giggle! It was the sweetest sound. There's nothing like a happy baby. (And don't worry...the fist staring is still going in full force.)

Oh, and the crib didn't work last night. But she SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT in her cradle!!!! Yes, she slept through the night. This is one happy mommy, who slept from 10:30-5:15 this morning. Yes, that's early, but it's an eternity of sleep compared with the sleep we've been getting since before she was even born (when I was up all the time while 9 months pregnant). So this is a good day. A very good day. She slept through the night!!!!

One more thing....I've added a "comment" option at the bottom. Someone mentioned they'd like the opportunity to leave comments. Feel free...just make sure they're nice ones! :)

(Did I mention she slept through the night?)

out of sorts

She's stopped talking! For two days now, my sweet pea hasn't made a sound...except for crying and grunting. It's very odd. (Here she is talking to her doll...back when she was still talking) I was concerned because of this sudden change, plus the fact that she's been sleeping pretty fitfully and her diapers haven't been as full (yeah, I know...probably more than you wanted to know!), but then my brother told me today that he once read that babies do something really intensely when they first learn to do it, and then they don't do it for awhile. It's like it's being stored in their memories, and isn't accessible for awhile or something, so I'm hoping that's the case. She must be downloading the "I can talk and coo" nugget of knowledge into her brain somewhere, and has moved on to learning something else and doing that intensely instead.

So what has she moved on to? Fist-staring. Yes, that's right, ladies and gentlemen, my daughter can stare at her fist better than anyone on the block. She raises her right arm up in the air with her hand in a fist. Her eyes catch sight of the fist and she slowly lowers the fist closer to her face, aiming for her open mouth, but rarely hitting the target. Over and over and over and over she's been doing this.... for two days straight (the two days that she hasn't been talking, mind you!). She's gotten to be a pro. But I suppose in a few days she'll be downloading this knowledge, so it'll be absent for awhile, and perhaps she'll move onto.... oh, I don't know.... learning her rocks and minerals? No... but nothing would make her Daddy happier. Daddy's trying to teach her that she can only hold her head a certain way in order to get milk out of the bottle, but I told him it wouldn't work; she's still learning that her fist is always attached to her body. She has a long way to go!

Oh--here's another milestone. She slept in her crib for the first time yesterday afternoon. As I mentioned before, since she was born she's been sleeping in her cradle that Daddy made her. But the changing table Daddy's been building is almost done, and in order to move that into her bedroom we have to move the cradle out, so I'm trying to transition her to her crib. She hated it yesterday, and slept very poorly, so I went back to her cradle for the rest of her naps and for bedtime last night. But today she's taken two very good naps in the crib, so perhaps we're making some headway. Maybe she'll sleep in there tonight. We shall see........

mumbo bumbo

The rain didn't foil our plans for the 4th, like we thought it would. It rained all day yesterday, but around 2:30 it stopped, and the sun actually started to come out. We were able to have our picnic with our friends like we had planned.

A friend of mine just bought a "Bumbo" seat for her son--it's a foam chair that helps babies sit up before they're actually able to do it on their own. I had seen them before, but hadn't tried one out with our little one. So I put her in it last night. Here she is:

She seemed to like it pretty well. She sat in it two different times, both for 10 or 15 minutes, just looking around, enjoying a new perspective on life as a "big girl."

We're still on a quest for a picture of the perfect smile. She's almost three months old we still don't have a really good one. So in the last couple of days when Daddy's been home during her good moods, he's been trying and trying to get her to smile for the camera. Unfortunately, she smiles and smiles until she sees the camera come out, and then she stares intently at the thing, instead of looking at our faces and smiling back. Here is one of the better ones we've come up with so far. It's not outstanding, but she's still our cute, sweet girl!

timing is everything

We took her to get her pictures taken this morning. It's the first time we've had them taken, except for her newborn hospital picture. I was praying that she'd be in a good mood at 11:15, when we were scheduled to have them taken. Happily, she was in a good mood at 11:15. Sadly, they were running late and weren't ready for us at 11:15 while her good mood was taking place. We had to wait until 11:40 or so, and by that time, she had "wasted" all of her smiles on old Mom and Dad out in the waiting room, and was revving up for her fussy, "I'm tired and uncomfortable" whine. She only had one half smile left for the photographer. In the rest of the pictures she's staring wide-eyed and with an open mouth at the camera. There were still some cute pictures...just not as cute as they could've been, had they been on time and caught her when she was happy.

This morning we tried three dresses on her, trying to decide which one would be best, and wouldn't you know it, it's barely visible in the picture we chose!! She's laying on her tummy, propped up on her arm, and you can only barely get a glimpse of the shoulder strap of the dress. So much for the perfect dress! I guess it didn't really matter.

Wish I could post the picture here, but we don't get them until the 17th. When we do I'll try and scan one and post it for all to see.

predictability is a good thing

She's finally on a "schedule" of sorts. This is a very good thing. In the last couple of days I've finally stopped keeping track of her feedings, naps, and diaper changes on the chart I've been keeping since day one. Whew! What a relief! I usually know when she's going to wake up, want to eat, have a dirty diaper, take her medicine.... it makes life so much easier. I've learned when is the best time to take her out, and when it's best to stay home so she can get a good nap. I know what makes her smile and what helps her go to sleep. No, nothing is in stone, and there are always exceptions to the rule, but she's becoming predictable, and life is much easier for her mommy.

Of course, they always say that once you figure it out, they start teething, and everything changes..... I'm trying not to worry about that yet. I'm enjoying the order of things at the moment!

She's "talking" more and more. By talking I mean making lots of "ah" and "oh" types of sounds. She especially likes to talk when she's having her diaper changed! Who knew changing diapers could be so much fun!? She entertains me every time by smiling and cooing up a storm. Daddy doesn't like changing her diaper, but oh, the precious moments he misses! Here's my sweet girl talking away!

We skipped the nursery this week. We went to church this morning, and I didn't want to try her in there on a Sunday morning when it would be more crowded. Plus, it was her time to sleep, so I figured she'd sleep in our arms during the service. Well, she fell asleep in the car on the way there, but woke up as soon as we got her out. She was awake through the music and started to fuss as soon as it got quiet for the announcements. I took her into the cry room, which is dark, and she fell asleep almost immediately on my shoulder. So not only did I get to hear the entire sermon this week, I got to do it while rocking in a big leather recliner with the sweetest baby in the world asleep on my shoulder. I had the best seat in the house!

playtime with Daddy

Daddy took today off because it's our anniversary, so he's enjoying her good mood right now. He usually only gets to see her in the evenings when she's fussy, so it's nice for him to get to spend some time with her when she's happy and smiling and fun to interact with. This morning he was listening to music with her....I told her to cover her ears (if any of you know the music her Daddy listens to, you would too!), but she seemed to enjoy herself.

This morning we went for a walk on a local bike path. It was nice because the weather wasn't too hot and and we could keep her stroller open so she could see out, since it was shady. The park where we usually walk is in the full sun, so we always have to cover her up with the canopy that goes over her seat, and she can't really see. She was a good girl most of the walk, and enjoyed the scenery. She finally went to sleep, and when we weren't looking a mosquito landed on her little face! I caught it in time and Daddy brushed it away, so her flawless skin wasn't ruined. I was thankful for that because we're getting her pictures taken on Monday!!

I'm off to see what she and Daddy are up to. He's mischevious, so for all I know he could be trying to feed her the pretzels he was eating as a snack, since I'm not looking....he keeps telling me that he wants to let her suck on one. Crazy Daddy!

letting her cry

It's been a frustrating couple of hours. Evenings are notoriously her worst time of day. She hasn't been as fussy lately in the evenings as it was in the early weeks, but she still has her days, and tonight has been one. She's usually up for an hour after a nap and then she's ready to go back to bed. But in the evenings she stays up a little longer, because she doesn't sleep as long during the nap before that. Well, today she woke up at 5:30 pm, but wasn't supposed to eat until 6:30, so we entertained her for an hour. That wasn't too bad. But at 6:30 she didn't want to eat. She wanted to fuss.

After letting her fuss for awhile we tried again. This time she ate a little, but then didn't want anymore. She decided it was play time. So we played peek-a-boo with the burp cloth; I'd cover her face up with it and then take it off and say, "Boo!" She started talking and squealing every time the cloth would touch her face. It was very cute. But after about 15 minutes of that game, she got bored and started fussing again. She had been up for two hours by that point, so I took her up to bed. Protesting ensued....steady screaming for 15 minutes until I rescued her and rocked her and sang to her. She quieted down, but didn't go to sleep.

Once she was calm, I tried to put her down. Another 15 minutes of crying..... I got her again. This time I tried to feed her the rest of her bottle--she devoured it (in my arms, mind you, not on the floor like she usually insists on eating, which was very strange!). That calmed her and she began staring into space like she sometimes does before drifting to sleep. Back to bed she went....another crying fit. That's where we were in the story when I began this post--listening to her cry. But after a few minutes, I stopped writing and went in and patted her back and rocked her cradle, and she's finally drifted off to sleep. WHEW!!! Are you as exhausted reading that play-by-play as I am? I doubt it...I lived it.

Hopefully she'll be asleep until 1 or 2 AM. No, let me rephrase that. Hopefully she'll sleep through the night, but most likely she'll sleep until 1 or 2 AM. That's her usual routine: bedtime until 1 or 2, awake to eat for half an hour, then back to bed until 5 or 6 in the morning. But one can always hope..............

sleeping squeals

Oh how I wish I could put a sound clip on this entry...I'd love for you to hear the sounds she's making right now as she's sleeping! She's always been a little grunter, as she scrunches around, looking for a corner to squeeze herself into, but this isn't her typical grunting. These are squeals of glee, kind of like the coos I get when she's smiling and "talking" to me on the changing table, or playing on the floor. It's the sweetest sound you've ever heard, and now she's doing it in her sleep! Precious, precious girl....

Here's a picture of her in her favorite sleeping position. This is an old picture--from her very first week at home, but she still sleeps on her tummy (I know....a no-no these days, but it's the only way she'll sleep!), often scrunched up just like this, though now she stretches out, too.

her mobile on monday morning

It's Monday morning and she should be sleeping, but she chose to wake up early, instead. It's not time for her to eat, so I've put her in her crib under her mobile (she still sleeps in the cradle Daddy made, which is next to her crib, so right now her crib is only used for mobile time).

Here she is laying under her very complex mobile. She loves it! It plays three songs (songs I now hear in my sleep) and the animals move around and flip over to the side as they come around the bend. I don't know if she's squealing at the animals, the music, the movement, or the black and white swirls under those little tent-like shapes, but whatever the case, it keeps her safe and happy for 15 minutes (that's how long the music plays). It's hilarious to watch. She kicks, waves her arms, squeals, "talks," and stares in wonder. We've tried turning it on again and getting another 15 minutes out of her, but then instead of squeals we hear fussing, so we no longer press our luck.

After my 15 minutes are up, it's time to go feed her and give her a bath. Bathtime is getting better--she used to fuss, then the fussing gave way to frantic "panting" while she was in the water, and now she's content to sit there quietly, but her hands are still balled up in little fists, undecided about whether it's safe to relax and smile or not. Before and after her bath she's all smiles, but put her in the water and she becomes a different little girl. Hopefully soon we'll be moving on to bathtime being fun. I'm looking forward to the time when she wants to play with all of the cool bath toys we got at the showers, but I guess that's a way down the road, since she can't sit up and she just started holding onto her rattle for a few seconds at a time. But we'll get there.

Uh-oh! The music stopped--my 15 minutes are up.........

nursery nerves

So we went to church on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning this week (actually, for the last couple of weeks), and guess who went to the nursery for the first time? Yes....she did. Well, it was sort of the first time. I'm going to a Bible study on Thursday mornings, and she's gone in the nursery then, but there are only two little ones in the infant nursery, and two older ladies to watch them, so I don't have to worry too much about it, and I'm right around the corner. Besides, the ladies names are Tillie and Flo--who wouldn't trust their little one with two grey haired ladies named Tillie and Flo?! They're very sweet with her. Anyway, so this wasn't her first time in there, but it was the first time during a regular church service, when it's crowded with babies. I'm sure the nursery workers love babies and are very competent, but this is OUR little girl we're entrusting into their care! They don't know and love her like we do! We were both nervous. We tried putting her in the room off of the main rooms, where they have cribs for the babies to sleep, because she had fallen asleep in the car, and it was technically her sleep time, but a friend later dropped her little boy off and told me that she saw someone holding her, so she obviously hadn't lasted in the crib. Well, we left her there, and both felt so odd....like something wasn't right. It was awful! I felt like I was abandoning my daughter! As we walked through the halls, we ran into someone who looked at us holding hands (when was the last time we were able to walk down the hall holding hands?? We're now always carrying our daughter and everything but the kitchen sink in her diaper bag) and said, "Is this the first time you're leaving her in the nursery?" He said we just had that look about us..... Hmm, I wonder just what that look looked like. Panic? Relief? Probably a little of both. And then I walked into church and saw several friends with their babies. That made me feel worse. I talked to them and found out that they hadn't left theirs in the nursery yet, and they're all older than our little girl--"What kind of horrible mother am I?" I started thinking. I know that's not true...I'm doing what's best for both of us, but it still felt so wrong. It was hard to concentrate during the service--I kept looking at the screen to see if our number popped up, meaning, "She's screaming out of control and we need you to come rescue us from your child!" It never appeared, though. I guess that's good, but secretly I was thinking that I would've loved an excuse to go get her!! As it was, I left right after the sermon was done to go get her. She can be in the service during the music--she loves it and is very content. It's just the sitting down and being quiet part that she can't handle. So she enjoyed the last couple of songs with Mommy and Daddy, and then we all enjoyed talking with friends afterward. Apparently she was pretty fussy in the nursery. No one can figure out what to do with her. She screams when she eats (unless you lay her on the floor, which they didn't know), she screams when she goes to sleep (but only for 10 minutes, and then she puts herself to sleep, but they tried rocking her to sleep, which she won't tolerate). She's a complicated one.....but she's MY sweet, complicated one, and I wouldn't trade her for the world.

By the way, I've tried adding a picture about three times and can't get it to work...sorry...maybe next time.

her newest tricks

This is my first attempt at a blog, so bear with me......... If you find it dull, don't tell me.... If you find it interesting, by all means, tell me!

It's Saturday morning and the little one is asleep. She woke up early this morning, and after spending some time playing with and smiling at Daddy, she ate, got a bath, and went down again for her morning nap. Daddy went to play frisbee golf with a friend, and I'm enjoying the solitude of the morning.

So I know most of you don't care about what I'm doing....you are most interested in what our little girl is up to these days. (By the way, there's our little sweet pea. This is my latest favorite picture, even though there's a shadow in the way.) Her newest achievement is learning to entertain herself in her bouncy chair. She used to just sit there and stare at the blinds or a lamp or something equally as exciting to a two and a half month old, but now she's figured out how to move her arms and legs in such a way as to shake the toys that dangle over her chair. This makes them move and make noise, which she finds rather exciting, so she squeals and does it some more! Let me tell you, this is a breakthrough for us. No more carrying her around the house every waking moment to look at things in order to keep her happy. I can stick her in her chair and she's good to go for a good 20 minutes or so, while I empty the dishwasher, dry my hair, or (more likely) lay down on the couch to rest. Not to mention the fact that it's entertaining for us to watch, as well!

She's also discovered the TV, unfortunately. Some of you may know that she won't just eat in your arms like a normal infant--no, not our daughter. Due to her refluxing, coughing, choking, and angry back-arching antics while she's eating, we often have to lay her on the floor and feed her that way. I know....it's weird.... Even the doctor doesn't understand it. Well, her blanket she lays on is stationed on the floor next to the TV. That's where the empty floor space is in the room. If we have the TV on to entertain ourselves while we feed her, she makes every effort to angle her head so she can see it, too. No matter how we position her, she'll find a way to sneak a peek at the TV. I've started turning it off when she's laying there, unless I'm intent on watching something, but she STILL stares at it, because she can see the reflection of the lamp in the dark screen! I can't win.....