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.