Week Twenty Seven

Oh my gosh I am actually writing this post on time!  It is a near miracle considering all the stuff going on, but it is so important to me to record all of the events of your life that I made it a priority!  This week was HUGE, so many firsts, so many changes.  We had a really good visit with your Grandma, she is not really a baby person, but she was on the floor playing with you and had a fun time just watching you.  You unfortunately are having some separation anxiety, so although you are a huge flirt with people, if any one tries to hold you that is not your Dad or me you quickly lose it.  I am pretty sure that you hurt your Grandma's feelings with the screaming when she held you, but you are a little baby and really can't help it.

Your first Thanksgiving was this week, we went to Emilie's house and had dinner with Leslie, Monty, JC, James, his girlfriend, her son Isaac, Josephine, Roosevelt, and of course your Grandma.  It was fun, although I thought that you would be more excited about getting to eat.  I made you a sweet potato mash and you loved playing with it, but acted like I put poop in your mouth when I tried to feed it to you.  We have some funny pictures of the whole experience, basically you had more of a sweet potato facial than a meal.  Your Grandma fed you cranberry sauce, which I am pretty sure is not an approved first food, but you loved it way more than the sweet potato!

We started dry brushing your teeth this week, and found out later that we should be using baby fluoride free tooth paste.  You love having your teeth brushed so I hope that continues since so many kids seem to fight oral care.

You also decided that you needed a few more firsts this week and started to crawl!  It is more of any army crawl than up on all fours, but you can move!

We had your 6 month pictures taken by Tiffany Young here at the house.  The photo shoot was so much fun, I hope that she got some great images.  We get the cd next week to find out.  You were so good and smiley the whole time we were so impressed with your stamina.

We saw Dr Chang Monday for your 6 month check up.  You are doing great, on track and meeting all your developmental milestones.  You are still long and thin just like Mama.  Unfortuantely you had to get 4 shots and 1 oral vaccine.  Poor baby, you were so brave, but it just breaks our hearts to see you in pain like that!

What an amazing week!

Week Twenty Six

It was cold and rainy this week.  So we spent a good amount of time indoors trying to keep your socks on so that your feet would not get chilled.  You have big feet darling girl and we need to get some better socks since they either fall off, or you chew them off frequently.  Dad took you for a walk in your baby carrier with his big fizzy shirt closed around the two of you, it looks weird and cute at the same time.  You officially turned 6 months old this week and you are so ready to eat solid food.  You grab anything we are eating and try and shove it in your mouth.  I promised that I would not feed you until Thanksgiving so we are holding off one more week.  I have to confess that I am bad about letting you put things in your mouth.  When I am sorting the mail I often let you chew and gum on junk mail that we have.  This week I got scared like crazy when I found flecks of black on your poop, it turns out it was just pieces of a navy blue envelope I let you chew on the previous day.  I got scolded by you Dad and I am trying really hard to not let you eat any more paper!

Week Twenty Five

You have been working so hard on trying to crawl, I know that you are going to figure it out soon and then you will be MOBILE yikes!  You already roll with purpose so I am a little nervous about you moving even more.  My little helpless baby is getting so big and strong and it is amazing and wonderful and a tiny bit sad all at the same time.  We had the Open House at my work this week to introduce the clients to the new doctors.  I helped a lot with the planning and suggested the photo station for pets, it was a big success.  You came at the very end and were super cranky!  We did get a great staff photo and the whole staff wanted you in the picture!  Later that night we realized why you were so out of sorts, you my dear are the proud owner of 2 central mandibular incisors!  Teeth!  My baby has teeth!  We completely babied you the next few days because of your teething, but you were back to your sweet self as soon as the teeth broke through your gums.  However when you chew on our fingers it hurts like crazy now.

Week Twenty Four

So sweetheart this was a relatively quiet week.  We finally made the transition from the small infant cloth diapers to the regular size.  And not a moment too late we could barely squeeze you into the smalls any more.  We also left you for our first evening out.  Not a romantic date, but the infant CPR and First Aid class at Banner Desert Hospital.  Your were pretty ill behaved for Aunt Sally, we got a desperate phone call when we were on our way home.  Looks like no movie date nights for a while yet.  We are still working on your sleep and I think that it is getting better.  I know that if I were more strict you would have learned all this stuff by now, but I melt when you cry and then you end up in bed nursing.  We will figure it out eventually.  Love you baby girl.

Week Twenty Three

This week was pretty awesome.  You started "wooing," this weird almost humming noise that is very forceful.  You are trying so hard to communicate with us and I wish that I knew what you are trying to say!  You have long wooing conversations with me and you Dad, although if I try to video tape you you immediately stop!

This week was also your first Halloween.  You were pretty fussy Halloween itself, but you finally woke up from a late nap and I changed you into your super cute Strawberry costume, we took some pictures, you Trick or Treated with the neighbors (we gave the candy back) and then back inside for a few more photos and then bed.  We also dressed you up on the weekend for some better pictures and also took you to Sprouts and took even more pictures there.  You were SOOOOO cute.  My darling girl you stop people in their tracks with your cuteness.

We also had a really good visit with Grandma this week.  She was really alert and talking about how nusy she had been working.  She remembered your name, which at her stage of Alzheimer's is amazing.  She told us that everyone she told your name to just loved it and wanted to remember it to use when they have another baby in a few years.  So in a few years there will be hundreds of Rosabellas!  You grabbed her hand and she said how strong you were.  I also let another resident hold you (don't tell your Dad).  It was a stand out visit.  I hope that we have more like that!

Week Twenty Two

Holy Moly how time goes by!  It has been more than a month since my last post here.  Between taking care of you, working, pumping breast milk, chores around the house, taking pictures of you and captioning them I have not had the time to blog about you.  You are amazing and more so every day!  I have been taking notes about what happened during certain weeks so that when I have a moment I can write about them here.

During your 22nd week we started sleep training.  Ugh it was awful, you cried and cried.  I knew that you needed to get more sleep and I could not go to bed with you at 7 pm since I only get home from work at 6:30 pm, so I knew that you needed to be able to go to sleep and stay asleep without me nursing you.  I read so many books about it: The No Cry Sleep Solution (should be called the no sleep solution), Sleeping Through the Night, The Sleepeasy Solution, Good Night Sleep Tight and I have downloaded Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems, but have not had the chance to listen to it yet.  I knew that you would cry, I was following the Sleep easy rules in which I could comfort you with my voice, but not touch you.  I did not however leave you alone I laid next to your bassinet while you cried.  The first night was awful you cried for 1 hour and 5 minutes before going to sleep, your Dad went to sleep in the studio since he could not handle it.  I was in tears and shaking by the end and so wired I could not sleep even after you drifted off.  The second night 20 minutes of crying, the third 3 minutes and the fourth 1 minute.  I would love to say that you can go to sleep in 1 minute now, but we have had some set backs.  I do think that you are sleeping better though and naps are easier too.

I wish that there was another way to teach you to sleep.  I could not find one, and despite the tears (yours and mine) I do think that it was worth it in the end.  Now you sleep for 1.5 to 2 hours before waking up to eat, and once you wake up I bring you into bed with me and we co-sleep and nurse the rest of the night.  I was not ready to give that up yet and honestly I could not take any more of your sweet baby tears.  Plus waking up with you cuddled against me is one of the sweetest starts to the day that I could ever imagine.

Week Twenty One

My oh my how quickly you are growing and changing.  Getting you to take a nap has become really hard for me, your Dad has this process that involves rocking, swaddling your arms and legs in separate blankets, and tapping your chest which works 90% of the time for him, but rarely anyone else.  I have started to research sleep training and I have 2 books I am reading and am listening to an audio book while I pump at work.  So many different opinions about how to get you to sleep better on your own without all the stuff your Dad uses.  I am having some information over load, but I know that we need to change something since you need more sleep and we need a method that more that just your Dad can use!

One of the consistent recommendations regardless of method/sleeping philosophy is to have a consistent night time routine.  So we have started to give you a bath every night and then a baby massage.  You LOVE bath time, you splash the water and grab the turtle thermometer and just have a grand old time.  It is one of those special times we get to share every day even if I am working.  I wish that I did not have to be gone such long hours.  I miss you so much and I am missing out on so much.  Finding that balance of work and being your Mama is hard.  Just know that even if I am not here I am thinking about you and loving you with my whole heart.

Week Twenty

I am already getting behind again.  Silly Mama, trying to do too much.  This week was so much fun, you started making this strange noise that I call insect talk.  I thought that it might be something called Razzing, but no it is your own made up baby language.  You really love it when I do it too, which sounds really strange when people see us.  It sounds like the insectoid Xindi on Enterprise.  People can look all they want it makes you so happy when we "talk" like this.  You have also really started giggling, before you would laugh silently, but now actual giggles come out.  It is so cute.

Week Nineteen

You have been squealing and laughing your head off this week.  The laughing especially at your Dad.  I have to say as wonderful as it is to you you do it, it also breaks my heart a little since so much of it is for your Dad.  Being at work 40+ hours a week is so hard, we have such little time together and you are really starting to become a Daddy's girl.  I am just going to keep trying to make our time together special ad know that you love me too!

We also just started to use your Bumbo seat, which you like for short periods of time.

Napping has started to be a little issue again.  The Happiest Baby on the Block Techniques are losing their effectiveness (as we knew they would around now) and swaddling you is making us nervous.  You keep rolling when waking up and then ending up face down by your crib rails which seems dangerous.  I have been researching what to do next and will be buying "The No Cry Sleep Solution."  Darling you keep growing and changing and are just such an amazing person, but I can't help but miss the little baby that you were just a few short months ago.

Week Eighteen

You had your 4 month visit with Dr Chang this week.  You continue to be very tall (75%) and very thin (5%).  You were s brave for all 4 shots, poor baby.  We gave you Tylenol as soon as we got home and you did so much better this time than you did after your 2 month vaccinations.  You are meeting all your milestones, but Dr Chang wants us to feed you more.  That means 4 oz bottles when I am gone instead of 3.  I am going to try my hardest to pump that much, but we may need to give you one formula bottle on the days I work.  I am trying hard not to be upset about that, but I do feel that in some ways I am failing you.

New things this week: rolling, you are mobile now and love to roll.  We have to keep a close eye on you now.  You also finally decided to use a pacifier, you chew on your soothie, sometimes just the handle, but you have it in your mouth at least!  We got a high chair for you from Jen Yacovazzi at work and a second Pack N Play for Aunt Sally's house, along with a ton of bottles, a bottle sterilizer, a bottle warmer and a wipe warmer.

You continue to amaze me, how fast you are growing and how pretty you are.  People are always stopping us in public and telling us how attractive you are.  We know that you are just as smart as you are pretty.  I promise to add pictures soon, but I am way behind on captioning and downloading your pictures!

Love Ya!

Week Seventeen

So this week is almost over and I have not written anything yet :(  I have been overwhelmed with work and trying to just spend time with you, much less blog about it.  So here are the high-lights: your Dad has been having you help him with the computer, we went to a BBQ at Dr O's house, we went to Jack Helm's Baptism, ate out with Sally and Jake at Haji Baba, and you officially turned 4 months old.  The Baptism was crazy since the church service was an hour long and they had no Mom and baby room, so half way through the sermon we had to step out to find a place to nurse.  It was in the parish hall which was NOT very private, thank goodness for the Udder Cover!  Then the Baptism was after the regular service, and 4 babies were getting baptized so that was long too.  You were so good and Dad and I were so proud of you.  Your massages in the morning are very popular, all the animals like to hang out with us.  During your Saturday massage we discovered that you love to watch the Doodlebops.  God do I love you.  I promise that I will try harder next week to record the events of your life and be the best mama that I can be!

Week Sixteen

Almost four months old!  I cannot believe how quickly time is going by and how awesome you are.  We are still getting the groove with how to handle expressing milk at work and bottles at home and when to feed you when I am not here and how to make sure that you are not sleeping when I get home.  It was so hard to be away from you this week, especially since I was busier at work and not able to get home on time every night.  We have started baby massage in earnest and yesterday we did Mommy/Baby Yoga together.  I just love you so much and wish that I could spend every day with you.  Your Dad is trying to get you to crawl and has this technique where you wriggle over his abdomen when he is laying down.  He also has you taking naps in your crib, which is super impressive.  You are also more verbal, although we have no idea what you are trying to communicate.  You have a bunch of toys that you love playing with: two O balls, a Dolly, and the rainbow Sassy O rings.  I have been having such a great time taking pictures of you.  I think that in another life I would have wanted to be a photographer... babies, little kids, weddings, graduations pretty cool stuff.  I have also written you a song (I actually wrote it several weeks ago) and I sing it to you when you are standing and shaking your bottom trying to keep your balance.  It is called Bum Chickie

I'm a Bum Chickie, Bum Chickie, a little Bum Chickie
I do a Bootie dance, in my baby pants
cause I'm a Bum Chickie, Bum Chickie

I shake my little bum, I shake it to and from
cause I'm a Bum Chickie, Bum Chickie, a little Bum Chickie

I rock my bootie left, I rock my bootie right
I rock my little bootie with my baby might
cause I'm a Bum Chickie, Bum Chickie, a little Bum Chickie

Week Fifteen

So I am back at work now and Daddy stays with you during the day.  It has been harder for me than you I think, but you were not happy about the bottle the first few times.  The pumping thing is hard since I am not making quite enough milk for you and we are having to supplement with the freezer stash I made while on leave.  I am doing all kinds of things to get my production up (taking supplements, listening to guided meditations while pumping and pumping on my days off).  I so hope that we won't have to supplement you with a little formula, but if we do, we do, calories are most important.

You have been grabbing like a maniac, you even took something away from you Dad.  Your sitting up is getting better, but you still topple over without support.  Your tummy time is getting better every day.  I was trying to get a photo of you at 45 degrees, but you rolled over while I was getting the camera ready!  We weighed you this week 10 lbs 15 ounces (while wearing a onesie and a diaper).  We also tried to measure you, but it came back at only 23 inches which seems wrong since you are too long for a bunch of your clothes from 0-3 months.

It has been raining for the past few days and you have been sleeping so well.  It is great since I can get a lot done, but I miss you so much when I am at work it is hard to let you nap on my days off.

Week Fourteen

This is my last week of maternity leave and I am so sad to have to go back to work.  So far you have been pretty fussy, but you are also learning new stuff every day!  You are grabbing more and have a new favorite toy, some colorful plastic rings.  You are vocalizing more each day and can support your own weight when standing.  Your tummy time is paying off, you can raise your head 45 degrees and when really going can do 90 for very short periods.  You have been having more issues with your skin, the dryness on your scalp is getting worse.  So instead of the baby oil treatments I have started olive oil.  I massage the oil into your scalp and then leave it on for 15 minutes and then shampoo it out and use a soft brush to get out the flakes.  You don't mind for the most part, but are not wild about the brushing.  You are growing so fast!

Week Thirteen

So far this is turning out be a big week for you.  We took your first long car trip to Tucson and we ate with you at a restaurant while down there.  You did so well!  I was so proud of you.  You mostly slept in the car, we only had to stop once on the way down to change your diaper and once on the way back to feed you.  You cried when your Uncle Alex held you and you are still not liking when anyone other than Mom or Dad holds you.  Standing is still a favorite game, but you have decided that you would like to be swaddled for naps again.  You had a bath where you did not scream your head off and maybe, kinda liked it.  I am trying so hard to soak up every moment this week since starting in 9 days I have to go to work again.

You have Auburn hair and greenish eyes this week.  I am not certain that either will stay, but it has been fun joking about the Irish baby that an Italian/Croatian and a German had!  I love how you try and talk to us while we are changing your diaper, which is still a favorite for you.  You feel so big and solid.

Week Twelve

Taking care of you is so time consuming that it is hard to find time to journal and blog about it!  This week has been big for changes.  You no longer want to be swaddled, you have started to fall asleep after nursing again which you haven't done for weeks.  You can hold your little hands together and love to practice standing.  We are reading books and you are focusing on the pictures.  The swing is not the big hit it was a few weeks back, but you LOVE the Ocean Sounds for Babies cd, and if it is playing in the car you are instantly quiet and usually fall asleep.  We have been doing tummy time daily, in the morning, in the library and our cat Flip is always there to monitor your progress.  You have been much easier and crying so much less it is amazing.  You are also getting SO tall.  I can't believe how big you are.  You love to practice standig even up on your tippy toes.  We have some adorable video of this.  Your Dad started his new job this week and we have had tons of Mommy and me time.  I love being with you so much and am completely dreading going back to work in September.  3 months is not enough time with you.

Your skin is doing so much better.  The Aveeno Baby Excema cream is helping so much.  Your baby shark skin as we called it is almost completely gone.  You are also now too big to use the pink tub from the hospital as a bath tub and we now will need to use the actual baby tub we have again.

Week Eleven

So we have finally started this journal of our baby's growth and development!  We will have to go back and fill in what we can remember from the first 10 whirlwind weeks of her life.  It has been amazing, but challenging and tiring.  I wish that I could remember every moment, but between fatigue and trying to keep up with her I know that precious moments are already fading into a vague rememberance.

This week had some major firsts.  Yesterday I took Rosabella to the grocery store by myself!  Mark had an orientation meeting for his new job and we were on our own for the entire morning.  It was a challenge for sure, but we are amazing women and rose to meet that challenge.  I had Rosabella in her bassinet while I showered, she only cried for the last 5 minutes, but was otherwise amused by her crib aquarium.  We then cuddled and I fed her, then swing time while I ate breakfast and got everything together for an outing: grocery list, printed out digital coupons, got the diaper bag all supplied.  Then off we went.

I had a plan, use the hard carrier and attach it to the cart that way I would have both hands free and I could maintain eye contact with Rosabella.  She did well for like 5 minutes, we had not even left the produce section when the complete meltdown started.  I had to take her out of the carrier and hold her in one arm, pushing/driving the cart with one hand and then nudging it with my left foot.  Thankfully this arrangement worked for the little Princess and she was happy to people watch and act cute.  The funny thing was when I was going down the canned vegetable aisle there was another mom with a baby (hers was maybe 5 or 6 months old), her hard carrier also empty in her cart, her baby in her arms.  We both got some strange looks from people who expect babies to silently sleep in their carriers.  As I passed her I told her "You don't need two arms to grocery shop" and she said "Yeah you need eight"!  We both laughed and went on with our shopping.

It was a Mom moment, I was now a member of the Mom nation.  It felt good, it felt right.

Miss Rosabella has been cooing more this week, getting stronger with her neck, but also has been having a good deal of fussy time.  I think that she may be having a mini growth spurt.  We have started reading books to her which she seems to enjoy.  I am so excited to see what next week brings!

Week Ten

You are so incredibly adorable this week.  Wearing new outfits and looking like the 3 month old charmer that you are.  We also started using a new nursing pillow that is less cumbersome than the Brest Friend and you really seem to love that too.  Our lives are so different now than this time last year, or really any time, and that is so fantastic.  Watching you grow and develop has been the most amazing adventure ever.  There is nothing in my life that I have done that is anywhere near as important to me as being the best Mom I can to you.

Week Nine

We had a grown up dinner party this week, with guests and everything!  Your Dad was needing adult companionship and to eat at the dinner table.  We had over Larry and Margaret Woodson and Emilie and Eric Keller.  You were so good.  You were sleeping when the guests arrived and then slept right on through dinner giving your Mommy a chance to eat with the grown ups too.  We also had Marissa Norman and her kids visit this week, they brought you a comfort bunny for when you get sick.  You are getting so strong and holding up your head so well.  Co-sleeping is still awesome, we all get a good nights rest and you can nurse all night long, but best of all I wake up to your sweet, sunny face every day!

Week Eight

This week continued our quest to find things that distract you from crying.  We discovered that you love being outside in the heat!  We would sit with you on the back porch for hours, and we would sweat, since even in the shade it was hot.  You loved it.  I called it going to look at plants.  It would calm you when nothing else would.  You have short periods of happiness when you are so adorable.  You love the early morning to coo and smile and play.  We just love you more and more each day.

Week Seven

You were so expressive and so CRANKY this week.  We tried baby wearing with limited success.  As long as we were on an outing you loved both of you carriers, but as soon as we would enter the house you would start to scream.  You loved going for walks, but it was so hot it was hard to find a good time to take you.  You Dad discovered a way to calm you down where you would start by sitting on his right knee facing his left knee and you would slowly droop over until you were laying down on his left leg.  You really liked going to sleep like this.  I called the Droopy Baby technique.  Unfortunately we would get you to sleep, but then if we tried to move you, you woke up.  So we spent a lot of time watching television with you sleeping on our laps.  Thank god for Netflix!  Our lives revolved around feeding you and getting you to sleep.  We had a visit from Dan and Melissa and River.  River gave you some stuffed animals (a Bulldog and Bulldog puppy) that Melissa and Dan got for him before he was even adopted.  It was a special present.  He really seemed to love you even though you screamed a good portion of the time they were here.  River drew us a picture of our family while he was here, very sweet.  You are such a blessing to our lives and even when you are fussy we just love you so much!