I was completely prepared to be a nervous, blubbering, teary-eyed mess on my first day back to work. I thought I'd cry my whole way driving in, every time I thought about her or looked at her picture, or when a coworker asked about how she was doing.
Well, I was FINE! I almost feel guilty about how completely fine I really was.
A few factors probably came into play in the success of the day:
1. My mom and Neil were both home with Lila (daycare starts next week & Neil had a day off)
2. It was a gorgeous sunny day outside!
3. It's summer in the college town where I work: very few students, easy parking, relaxed office atmosphere
4. I've been at home since February 3rd and pretty ready to come back!
Of course I missed my little girl, but I really liked being back at work. I have a list of things to work on, people to talk to, things to catch up on and to boot - a peaceful drive to work, a beautiful campus to walk around in and my quiet office with a lockable door!
Pumping went very well. I'm so lucky to have an office of my own, a pretty flexible schedule, a great breast pump and a boss who is incredibly supportive of nursing and pumping (she breastfed her daughter for 2.5 years)!
Lila did okay too unless Neil and Mom are lying to me and letting me think she had a great day! Apparently other than short naps, her only issue was not eating very much! She only ate 4 oz the whole time I was gone!! I only really was away for two feedings so it's not as bad as it sounds, but still, I expected her to eat 4 oz per feeding and maybe still be hungry and need more. I left two 4 oz bottles and an emergency bottle of formula if needed. She only ate 2 oz per feeding of breast milk.
We think she either is not used to the bottle, was not as hungry because of the big transition, did not like the taste of thawed milk, or was just biding her time until the "real thing" came home!
Whatever it was it did not affect her nighttime sleep last night. After eating when I got home at 4:30 and again at 7 and 9 she was out for the night and slept through until 6am!
We'll see how it goes today. She has freshly pumped milk to drink, a full night's sleep and a loving grandma to take care of her! But with one day under my belt, I'm very very hopeful that Lila and I both will be fine with this transition. I had plenty of time with her after I returned to work (but got NOTHING else done because I just wanted to hold her and play) and although I did miss her and think of her often at work I was not SAD.
Next week when she starts daycare will be another transition for me and for Lila. I hope it goes just as well. I'm so appreciative of my mom for coming up and taking care of Lila this week while I get the hang of working again and get used to pumping. It is a wonderful thing!!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Lila is 4 months old!
Our little beauty is 4 months old! She looks so big and grown to me now.
Lila has really started developing a personality and has changed so much. I just adore her! We had her appointment on Wednesday. Other than the shots, she was very good and happy the whole appointment! My mom went with me since Neil had to work. My mom is awesome! She has been an amazing grandma and such a supportive mom to me as a new mom. Such a huge support and help in every way! Anyway, here are Lila's stats from the appointment:
Weight - 14 lb 14 oz ~ 75th percentile Last month: 12 lb, 11.5 oz (Over 2 lbs in one month!)
Length - 25.5 inches ~ 85th percentile Last month: 24 3/4 inches
Head circumference - 16 inches ~ 40th percentile Last month: 15.5 in
Lila's growing well and the doc was very pleased with her health and development in general! Go Lila! We have had such a fun month. Lila went on her longest drive/trip ever, played in her baby pool, swam in a big pool, went on some play dates and had lots of fun with mommy, daddy and grandparents! More on all that later, but here are her other updates:
Diapers: Still size 1, because I accidentally had Amazon ship me a box of 192 size 1s by mistake. They still work but she's beyond ready for size 2s.
Clothes: 3-6 months onesies, rompers and tops. 6-9 months dresses and pants and some 12 months leggings and pants!
Eating: We are still nursing, and I'm loving it! We happily ditched the nipple shield around 3 months and it's SO much better. She went from 30-45 minute nursing sessions to around 12-15 minutes! It's an amazing difference! She gets the occasional bottle of breast milk or formula so I can stash some milk in the freezer, but most of the time we are nursing. She eats about every 3-3.5 hours during the day. I'm going to pump when I return to work next week! I hope it goes well. The pediatrician said we could introduce solid foods anytime, but I think we are going to wait for another month and then start on rice cereal.
Sleep: Lila was waking 2-3 times a night for the whole month of June. On Memorial Day she slept 11 hours straight and since then she's up every 3 hours or so! It was so exhausting and baffling. I chalked it up to a growth spurt but thought she might be waking out of habit, not hunger. Well, the eve of her 4 month birthday she slept through the night (8 hours) and has since then. She goes to bed around 9 or 9:30pm and wakes between 6-7am. She is still in the bassinet but is almost too big for it. We want to transition to the crib soon.
She naps pretty well during the day for the most part. I've been holding her sometimes for her naps because I'm sad about going back to work and just wanted to soak her in. Now I'm trying to put her in the bassinet or pack in play. We are trying to wean off the swaddle because she busts out of it and clearly doesn't like being confined any more. The problem is without it she has a hard time settling for sleep and just rubs her eyes and scratches her face! We are working on naps with no swaddling and eventually hope to get her night sleep unswaddled as well. We are using a Halo Sleep Sack now because it zips and will not bunch around her neck if she escapes it. On a good day she takes two 1.5 to 2-hour naps and one shorter nap around 5pm.
Developmental milestones:
- Has really found her voice and loves to laugh, squeal, coo and babble
- She found her feet! She loves playing with them and has figured out she can play by kicking toys and can suck on her hands at the same time
- She gets so excited sometimes she flaps her arms and hits her belly!
- Can shake a rattle, pick up nearby toys on her own, loves to examine hanging toys by holding them and turning them slowly
- Rolls from belly to back easily, can also roll from back to belly but just started doing it
- Still sitting and standing with support
- Can stand holding on to furniture for a few seconds
- Smiles all the time!! I LOVE her smile. It's so big and goofy
- Everything she touches goes in her mouth, but no teeth yet! Just a lot of drool!
Appearance:
- Getting some more hair growing in, definitely blond
- She's sporting some scratches on her face due to some fast growing nails and trying to get rid of swaddling
- Eyes are still getting lighter
- People say she's looking more like me
- Sometimes I dress her kind of like a boy because I'm starting to favor simpler comfy clothes for her! I still love her in pink and bows but it's just easier to have her in a white onesie and comfy pants or sweatpants
Lila loves:
- The Jumperoo! She LOVES the toys and she loves standing up on her own! She jumps with alternating legs like she's running. Sometimes she gets scared of the floating frog!!
- Looking at herself in the mirror! She smiles and tries to hug herself
- Other babies and kids
- Water!! Both bathtime and the pool. She splashes now!
- Music and anyone singing to her
- Her grandparents! She loves my mom and laughs so hard for her! She also loves granddad's beard and of course loves playing with Mamaw and Papaw Miller too. In fact they are coming tomorrow!
Lila doesn't like:
- The bumbo
- Getting dressed
- Headbands
- Bright lights or sun
Firsts, Funnies and Memories:
- First trip to Western Kentucky to see family (6+ hour trip). She did great! It was awesome to see my family and have them meet Lila!
- First time in a bikini and in the baby pool and regular pool
- We took her a couple times to the childwatch at the gym, first time someone other than family watched her
- Has started reaching out and grabbing people's faces. My favorite thing is when she gently touches my face and just looks at me and smiles. I melt!
- Sometimes cracks up laughing in her sleep
- We can see a lot of personality coming through. She's very happy and giddy and a little bit of a daredevil.
- Finally took her infant insert out of her carseat
- Her feet and neck are ticklish
- She tries to suck her thumb but I'm trying to discourage it. The other day I caught her sucking BOTH of them at the same time!
Mommy update
I'm doing well. I truly love being a mommy. It's so hard sometimes but so much fun too! I think I REALLY fell head over heels in love with Lila this month. I've always loved her of course, but the first couple months were so hard and I was still recovering physically and kind of missing my old life in a way. She was so little and really didn't do much! I loved her and was very protective of her of course but now that I'm seeing her little personality I'm just enjoying her so much more. I'm really going to miss her when I'm at work!
I only have a few days left with her at home before I go back to work. I think it will be okay. I'm sad of course but it was always the plan to return to work so I just have to suck it up and do it. I think I will enjoy a little more balance in my life and to regain a little of myself back. I tend to over-plan and over-think a lot of things and I was a little obsessive about Lila's schedule and naps and development while I was home. I am happy to turn over some of that to daycare and really just enjoy her and play and teach her things when we are together. I'm also happy to get a little "me time" back and start getting back into my normal groove.
I can't wait to see how Lila changes and grows in the next month. She'll probably be crawling!
Some phone pics:
Lila has really started developing a personality and has changed so much. I just adore her! We had her appointment on Wednesday. Other than the shots, she was very good and happy the whole appointment! My mom went with me since Neil had to work. My mom is awesome! She has been an amazing grandma and such a supportive mom to me as a new mom. Such a huge support and help in every way! Anyway, here are Lila's stats from the appointment:
Weight - 14 lb 14 oz ~ 75th percentile Last month: 12 lb, 11.5 oz (Over 2 lbs in one month!)
Length - 25.5 inches ~ 85th percentile Last month: 24 3/4 inches
Head circumference - 16 inches ~ 40th percentile Last month: 15.5 in
Lila's growing well and the doc was very pleased with her health and development in general! Go Lila! We have had such a fun month. Lila went on her longest drive/trip ever, played in her baby pool, swam in a big pool, went on some play dates and had lots of fun with mommy, daddy and grandparents! More on all that later, but here are her other updates:
Diapers: Still size 1, because I accidentally had Amazon ship me a box of 192 size 1s by mistake. They still work but she's beyond ready for size 2s.
Clothes: 3-6 months onesies, rompers and tops. 6-9 months dresses and pants and some 12 months leggings and pants!
Eating: We are still nursing, and I'm loving it! We happily ditched the nipple shield around 3 months and it's SO much better. She went from 30-45 minute nursing sessions to around 12-15 minutes! It's an amazing difference! She gets the occasional bottle of breast milk or formula so I can stash some milk in the freezer, but most of the time we are nursing. She eats about every 3-3.5 hours during the day. I'm going to pump when I return to work next week! I hope it goes well. The pediatrician said we could introduce solid foods anytime, but I think we are going to wait for another month and then start on rice cereal.
Sleep: Lila was waking 2-3 times a night for the whole month of June. On Memorial Day she slept 11 hours straight and since then she's up every 3 hours or so! It was so exhausting and baffling. I chalked it up to a growth spurt but thought she might be waking out of habit, not hunger. Well, the eve of her 4 month birthday she slept through the night (8 hours) and has since then. She goes to bed around 9 or 9:30pm and wakes between 6-7am. She is still in the bassinet but is almost too big for it. We want to transition to the crib soon.
She naps pretty well during the day for the most part. I've been holding her sometimes for her naps because I'm sad about going back to work and just wanted to soak her in. Now I'm trying to put her in the bassinet or pack in play. We are trying to wean off the swaddle because she busts out of it and clearly doesn't like being confined any more. The problem is without it she has a hard time settling for sleep and just rubs her eyes and scratches her face! We are working on naps with no swaddling and eventually hope to get her night sleep unswaddled as well. We are using a Halo Sleep Sack now because it zips and will not bunch around her neck if she escapes it. On a good day she takes two 1.5 to 2-hour naps and one shorter nap around 5pm.
Developmental milestones:
- Has really found her voice and loves to laugh, squeal, coo and babble
- She found her feet! She loves playing with them and has figured out she can play by kicking toys and can suck on her hands at the same time
- She gets so excited sometimes she flaps her arms and hits her belly!
- Can shake a rattle, pick up nearby toys on her own, loves to examine hanging toys by holding them and turning them slowly
- Rolls from belly to back easily, can also roll from back to belly but just started doing it
- Still sitting and standing with support
- Can stand holding on to furniture for a few seconds
- Smiles all the time!! I LOVE her smile. It's so big and goofy
- Everything she touches goes in her mouth, but no teeth yet! Just a lot of drool!
Appearance:
- Getting some more hair growing in, definitely blond
- She's sporting some scratches on her face due to some fast growing nails and trying to get rid of swaddling
- Eyes are still getting lighter
- People say she's looking more like me
- Sometimes I dress her kind of like a boy because I'm starting to favor simpler comfy clothes for her! I still love her in pink and bows but it's just easier to have her in a white onesie and comfy pants or sweatpants
Lila loves:
- The Jumperoo! She LOVES the toys and she loves standing up on her own! She jumps with alternating legs like she's running. Sometimes she gets scared of the floating frog!!
- Looking at herself in the mirror! She smiles and tries to hug herself
- Other babies and kids
- Water!! Both bathtime and the pool. She splashes now!
- Music and anyone singing to her
- Her grandparents! She loves my mom and laughs so hard for her! She also loves granddad's beard and of course loves playing with Mamaw and Papaw Miller too. In fact they are coming tomorrow!
Lila doesn't like:
- The bumbo
- Getting dressed
- Headbands
- Bright lights or sun
Firsts, Funnies and Memories:
- First trip to Western Kentucky to see family (6+ hour trip). She did great! It was awesome to see my family and have them meet Lila!
- First time in a bikini and in the baby pool and regular pool
- We took her a couple times to the childwatch at the gym, first time someone other than family watched her
- Has started reaching out and grabbing people's faces. My favorite thing is when she gently touches my face and just looks at me and smiles. I melt!
- Sometimes cracks up laughing in her sleep
- We can see a lot of personality coming through. She's very happy and giddy and a little bit of a daredevil.
- Finally took her infant insert out of her carseat
- Her feet and neck are ticklish
- She tries to suck her thumb but I'm trying to discourage it. The other day I caught her sucking BOTH of them at the same time!
Mommy update
I'm doing well. I truly love being a mommy. It's so hard sometimes but so much fun too! I think I REALLY fell head over heels in love with Lila this month. I've always loved her of course, but the first couple months were so hard and I was still recovering physically and kind of missing my old life in a way. She was so little and really didn't do much! I loved her and was very protective of her of course but now that I'm seeing her little personality I'm just enjoying her so much more. I'm really going to miss her when I'm at work!
I only have a few days left with her at home before I go back to work. I think it will be okay. I'm sad of course but it was always the plan to return to work so I just have to suck it up and do it. I think I will enjoy a little more balance in my life and to regain a little of myself back. I tend to over-plan and over-think a lot of things and I was a little obsessive about Lila's schedule and naps and development while I was home. I am happy to turn over some of that to daycare and really just enjoy her and play and teach her things when we are together. I'm also happy to get a little "me time" back and start getting back into my normal groove.
I can't wait to see how Lila changes and grows in the next month. She'll probably be crawling!
Some phone pics:
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
What a difference a year makes...
Last year on June 8th, 2010 we got one of these:
Haha, followed by many more just to be sure! To be clear, those are from LAST YEAR. There will be none of that again for a few years, people!
Fast forward to this year on June 8th, 2011, playing in her baby pool!
So lucky to have our little girl. Motherhood is so much harder and better than I imagined. Lila is WAY more special and wonderful than I ever could have hoped for. She's truly the joy of my life! I can't believe she is already 3 1/2 months!
Haha, followed by many more just to be sure! To be clear, those are from LAST YEAR. There will be none of that again for a few years, people!
Fast forward to this year on June 8th, 2011, playing in her baby pool!
So lucky to have our little girl. Motherhood is so much harder and better than I imagined. Lila is WAY more special and wonderful than I ever could have hoped for. She's truly the joy of my life! I can't believe she is already 3 1/2 months!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Already 3 months old!
What a month we've had! It's been a busy one and Lila has been growing like crazy! She turned 3 months on Monday and we just went to her 3 month checkup today. Here's the update:
Weight - 12 lb, 11.5 oz ~75th percentile Last month: 11 lb, 4 oz
Length - 24 3/4 inches ~90th percentile Last month: 23 in
Head circumference 15.5 inches ~50th percentile Last month: 15 in
What a big girl! She is still long and skinny relatively speaking, but I'm so so happy with her weight gain and growth this month. I feel so much better about my milk supply and I know now that she is getting what she needs. We didn't see a doctor today, just a nurse, but she was very pleased with Lila's growth and said that she's perfect! The nurse was impressed with Lila's sitting and standing abilities (supported by me of course) and said that she seems really strong and advanced for 3 months and that she'd likely crawl and walk early. We shall see! Lila has always been strong and sturdy so I'm not surprised.
Diapers: Size 1, but I'm thinking we need to move up to size 2 because of some recent up the back blow-outs! Lila poops every 1-2 days and they are pretty nasty explosive ones! Luckily it's so loud we always know when to run to the changing table to change her! The girl can poop.
Clothes: Almost all 3-6 months. She can still wear some 0-3 onesies and tops, but because of length, even some 3-6 month pants and jammies don't really fit anymore! I love all the summer clothes she can wear now. I'm still getting used to dressing her for warm weather. I'm got so used to layering my winter baby up - she seems so naked in just a onesie or romper.
Eating: Because we had a rough long growth spurt this month (from 10.5 to 12 weeks old) her eating has been all over the place. She was only eating every 3 hours during the day but during the spurt it was every 1.5 or 2! Now we're at about every 2.5 hours. I'm pumping more and she's getting a pumped bottle of milk most nights. In order to build up my stash for work I'm really trying to find ways to get more milk pumped. One thing we are trying out is giving her one bottle of formula before bed while I pump and freeze that milk for after my return to work. I didn't really want to give her formula, but I think this a good solution to make sure I give her breastmilk for as long as possible. We are concerned about the next growth spurt totally wiping me out. This way we give her a little formula now to hopefully make it through the growth spurt with enough breastmilk to spare. I really want to give her mostly breastmilk for her first year. We've already made it 3 months! Woohoo!
Sleep: Again because of the growth spurt her sleeping has been totally jacked this month. During the spurt she was not napping much during the day (3 or 4 30-45 min naps), didn't want me to put her down and was waking up 2-3 times a night. Before and after the growth spurt she is pretty much sleeping 7-9 hours, usually from 10:30-6:30 or so. I've been really working on getting her to go to sleep on her own for naps (as opposed to sleeping in my arms or falling asleep after nursing). This is going pretty well but she does wake up every once in a while and I have to soothe her back to sleep. She naps in her bassinet mainly and usually takes 4 naps a day around 1-1.5 hours. Sometimes she'll get a 2-hour nap in the morning, but not often. I've tried in earnest to get her bedtime earlier than 10:30, but it was just not working. I tried as early as 7pm and also tried 8 and 9. She just thought it was nap time and woke pretty shortly after. We are working on gradually getting her to an earlier bedtime. A lot of formula-fed babies are sleeping 12 hours at this age. I know I should count my lucky stars for the 8-9 hour stretches we get sometimes, but I just want to make sure she's getting enough sleep.
Developmental milestones:
- "Talking" alot more, coos and laughs!
- Grips and holds toys, can move them from hand to hand
- Can play independently for longer, 10 minutes or so in the bouncy seat or swing
- Rolls over from belly to back, but has only done this a few times
- Can roll from side to side
- Can sit up very well with just a little propping.
- Smiles spontaneously at random stuff and when someone smiles at her
- Bears weight on legs and LOVES "standing"
- Loves sucking her hands, fingers, toys and drools ALOT. I guess this is early teething.
- Doing better at tummy time. She doesn't just mash her face into the blanket and cry anymore! She prefers naked tummy time! I probably do about 20 minutes a day in 5-10 minute chunks.
Appearance:
- Her eyes are getting bluer and bigger
- Still looks like a mix of Neil and I, Neil's eyes and eyebrows and my lips and maybe my nose
- Is mostly a baldy but has some blonde hair on top and sides and darker hair in the back
- Has really pretty fair skin. I get comments all the time about how pretty her skin is!
- She is smiling so much more but has her grumpy times too. Her smile is beautiful!
- Has some dry patches on her skin and head is kind of flaky too. They gave me lotion to try at the pediatrician.
- Her legs are starting to fill out and she has little fat roll legs! So cute.
- She has big hands and tiny feet! I call her "toddler hands" because her hands are huge. She can, however, still wear newborn shoes and her feet haven't really grown much at all since birth
Lila loves:
Standing up
Clocks and light fixtures
Her changing table and chair with the farm animal toys
Car rides and her carseat
Sucking on her hands and fingers
The book "Goodnight Moon"
Being out of the house, she seems to really like Target (lots of stuff to look at on the ceiling)
Other little kids and doesn't seem to mind dogs
Bath time and naked time
Eating! Nursing or any type of bottle - as long as its food she doesn't care.
Lila doesn't like:
Lotion/massage time after bath
Being delayed to eat
Going to bed early
Being out in the sun/hot weather (even with a hat)
Firsts, Funnies and Memories:
- Lila met her new best friend a few days ago! Emmett Thomas Young, born May 19!
- During Lila's growth spurt she cried so much she got hoarse! It was ROUGH! Luckily my mom came towards the end of it to save me!
- I was singing "I'm a Little Teapot" to Lila and she stuck out her arm for "here is my spout".. coincidence, but so funny!
- A funny memory: during a particularly bad blowout poop I had an air freshener up to Neil's nose and we we taking turns changing her but gagging too! It's a lie that breastfed baby poop doesn't smell. It does.
- When we went to visit Sy and Elizabeth and baby Emmett they had friends there with a little boy who's almost 2. Lila loved him! She laughed and laughed and didn't care when he poked her right in the eye. I was a little scared for her to be around big kids but it was just fine.
- We went to Neil's grandmother's 90th birthday party last weekend. It was so fun to see all of the family together. It warms my heart to know that so many people love our little girl!
Lila is doing just great and I'm so fortunate to have another month off of work with her. To be honest, I'd be ready to go back now if I had to, but I'm glad I was able to take an extra month. I'll be off a total of 4 months, and even though I'm so sad to leave my baby girl, I'll be happy to get back to work and have adults to talk to, quiet lunches, time to myself in the car and a renewed sense of purpose other than as a permanent milk supply! I love being a mom but I don't think I'm cut out to be a SAHM (Stay at home mom). I'd love to work an abbreviated workweek or work part-time (with full time pay - ha) but both of us working and Lila in childcare is the best option. I'll sure miss her though when I go back and I'm sure it will be a hard transition.
I'll post some photos of Lila in her 3rd month a little later. Happy 3 months little girl!
Weight - 12 lb, 11.5 oz ~75th percentile Last month: 11 lb, 4 oz
Length - 24 3/4 inches ~90th percentile Last month: 23 in
Head circumference 15.5 inches ~50th percentile Last month: 15 in
What a big girl! She is still long and skinny relatively speaking, but I'm so so happy with her weight gain and growth this month. I feel so much better about my milk supply and I know now that she is getting what she needs. We didn't see a doctor today, just a nurse, but she was very pleased with Lila's growth and said that she's perfect! The nurse was impressed with Lila's sitting and standing abilities (supported by me of course) and said that she seems really strong and advanced for 3 months and that she'd likely crawl and walk early. We shall see! Lila has always been strong and sturdy so I'm not surprised.
Diapers: Size 1, but I'm thinking we need to move up to size 2 because of some recent up the back blow-outs! Lila poops every 1-2 days and they are pretty nasty explosive ones! Luckily it's so loud we always know when to run to the changing table to change her! The girl can poop.
Clothes: Almost all 3-6 months. She can still wear some 0-3 onesies and tops, but because of length, even some 3-6 month pants and jammies don't really fit anymore! I love all the summer clothes she can wear now. I'm still getting used to dressing her for warm weather. I'm got so used to layering my winter baby up - she seems so naked in just a onesie or romper.
Eating: Because we had a rough long growth spurt this month (from 10.5 to 12 weeks old) her eating has been all over the place. She was only eating every 3 hours during the day but during the spurt it was every 1.5 or 2! Now we're at about every 2.5 hours. I'm pumping more and she's getting a pumped bottle of milk most nights. In order to build up my stash for work I'm really trying to find ways to get more milk pumped. One thing we are trying out is giving her one bottle of formula before bed while I pump and freeze that milk for after my return to work. I didn't really want to give her formula, but I think this a good solution to make sure I give her breastmilk for as long as possible. We are concerned about the next growth spurt totally wiping me out. This way we give her a little formula now to hopefully make it through the growth spurt with enough breastmilk to spare. I really want to give her mostly breastmilk for her first year. We've already made it 3 months! Woohoo!
Sleep: Again because of the growth spurt her sleeping has been totally jacked this month. During the spurt she was not napping much during the day (3 or 4 30-45 min naps), didn't want me to put her down and was waking up 2-3 times a night. Before and after the growth spurt she is pretty much sleeping 7-9 hours, usually from 10:30-6:30 or so. I've been really working on getting her to go to sleep on her own for naps (as opposed to sleeping in my arms or falling asleep after nursing). This is going pretty well but she does wake up every once in a while and I have to soothe her back to sleep. She naps in her bassinet mainly and usually takes 4 naps a day around 1-1.5 hours. Sometimes she'll get a 2-hour nap in the morning, but not often. I've tried in earnest to get her bedtime earlier than 10:30, but it was just not working. I tried as early as 7pm and also tried 8 and 9. She just thought it was nap time and woke pretty shortly after. We are working on gradually getting her to an earlier bedtime. A lot of formula-fed babies are sleeping 12 hours at this age. I know I should count my lucky stars for the 8-9 hour stretches we get sometimes, but I just want to make sure she's getting enough sleep.
Developmental milestones:
- "Talking" alot more, coos and laughs!
- Grips and holds toys, can move them from hand to hand
- Can play independently for longer, 10 minutes or so in the bouncy seat or swing
- Rolls over from belly to back, but has only done this a few times
- Can roll from side to side
- Can sit up very well with just a little propping.
- Smiles spontaneously at random stuff and when someone smiles at her
- Bears weight on legs and LOVES "standing"
- Loves sucking her hands, fingers, toys and drools ALOT. I guess this is early teething.
- Doing better at tummy time. She doesn't just mash her face into the blanket and cry anymore! She prefers naked tummy time! I probably do about 20 minutes a day in 5-10 minute chunks.
Appearance:
- Her eyes are getting bluer and bigger
- Still looks like a mix of Neil and I, Neil's eyes and eyebrows and my lips and maybe my nose
- Is mostly a baldy but has some blonde hair on top and sides and darker hair in the back
- Has really pretty fair skin. I get comments all the time about how pretty her skin is!
- She is smiling so much more but has her grumpy times too. Her smile is beautiful!
- Has some dry patches on her skin and head is kind of flaky too. They gave me lotion to try at the pediatrician.
- Her legs are starting to fill out and she has little fat roll legs! So cute.
- She has big hands and tiny feet! I call her "toddler hands" because her hands are huge. She can, however, still wear newborn shoes and her feet haven't really grown much at all since birth
Lila loves:
Standing up
Clocks and light fixtures
Her changing table and chair with the farm animal toys
Car rides and her carseat
Sucking on her hands and fingers
The book "Goodnight Moon"
Being out of the house, she seems to really like Target (lots of stuff to look at on the ceiling)
Other little kids and doesn't seem to mind dogs
Bath time and naked time
Eating! Nursing or any type of bottle - as long as its food she doesn't care.
Lila doesn't like:
Lotion/massage time after bath
Being delayed to eat
Going to bed early
Being out in the sun/hot weather (even with a hat)
Firsts, Funnies and Memories:
- Lila met her new best friend a few days ago! Emmett Thomas Young, born May 19!
- During Lila's growth spurt she cried so much she got hoarse! It was ROUGH! Luckily my mom came towards the end of it to save me!
- I was singing "I'm a Little Teapot" to Lila and she stuck out her arm for "here is my spout".. coincidence, but so funny!
- A funny memory: during a particularly bad blowout poop I had an air freshener up to Neil's nose and we we taking turns changing her but gagging too! It's a lie that breastfed baby poop doesn't smell. It does.
- When we went to visit Sy and Elizabeth and baby Emmett they had friends there with a little boy who's almost 2. Lila loved him! She laughed and laughed and didn't care when he poked her right in the eye. I was a little scared for her to be around big kids but it was just fine.
- We went to Neil's grandmother's 90th birthday party last weekend. It was so fun to see all of the family together. It warms my heart to know that so many people love our little girl!
Lila is doing just great and I'm so fortunate to have another month off of work with her. To be honest, I'd be ready to go back now if I had to, but I'm glad I was able to take an extra month. I'll be off a total of 4 months, and even though I'm so sad to leave my baby girl, I'll be happy to get back to work and have adults to talk to, quiet lunches, time to myself in the car and a renewed sense of purpose other than as a permanent milk supply! I love being a mom but I don't think I'm cut out to be a SAHM (Stay at home mom). I'd love to work an abbreviated workweek or work part-time (with full time pay - ha) but both of us working and Lila in childcare is the best option. I'll sure miss her though when I go back and I'm sure it will be a hard transition.
I'll post some photos of Lila in her 3rd month a little later. Happy 3 months little girl!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Breastfeeding, tv and mommy guilt
I read an article the other day about how bad it is to watch tv (or text or play on your phone/ipad/laptop) while you breastfeed. Immediately, the mommy guilt crept in. I must be a terrible mother because I don't constantly gaze lovingly at my child while I'm feeding her.
Well, I do gaze at her and stroke her face and talk to her and all those things... But I'm pretty sure if that's ALL I did while she eats I'd either go nuts, quit breastfeeding or both.
I've actually done a whole host of things while nursing: putting on makeup, reading a book, writing blog posts (like this one), talking on the phone, eating countless meals (practically all of them) and yes, catching up on the DVR and watching old episodes of Grey's Anatomy on Netflix. I actually don't know when or if I'd ever do any of those things other than when I'm feeding the baby.
There is a ton of stuff to worry about or feel guilty about as a parent. Even when you go with your gut and do all you can there is still that fear that you might be failing and will screw up your kid for life.
Even just with feeding the baby, moms are made to feel bad if you formula feed, or don't breastfeed long enough or you breastfeed past a year and a half or 2 years. I sometimes feel guilt about going back to work, for not at least trying cloth diapers, for not having my baby on a good nap schedule, and on and on...
Well I'm trying to release the guilt. I'm doing the best I can and I'm doing what works for me and my family. So, I will continue to multitask while feeding Lila, but I know these moments are fleeting so I will definately try to gaze at her just a little bit more.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Random thoughts
- So Neil has had a break from school the last couple weeks and I'm getting spoiled having him home every evening! He starts up again the 17th for his last 12 weeks of grad school. We'll both be so ready to have our evenings back to "normal"... Well our new normal!
- Lila is going through a growth spurt or a big developmental transition I think. The last couple days she has been fussier, clingier and hungrier than normal. I hope this passes soon!
- Breastfeeding is kind of wearing me out. Mostly due to the recent growth spurt. I know it's best but it's so exhausting physically and mentally. I'm worried about my supply, trying to pump enough to make a stash for work and Lila is starting to eat like a newborn again: every 1.5 - 2 hours for 30-45 mins at a time. Neil has been feeding her a bottle of pumped milk at night just to give me a little break, but she usually still wants the real thing. I so admire women who do this for 1-2+ years but admittedly I also envy people that do formula! I think this is just a rough patch, though. I'm still soldiering on!
- It's garage sale season! Last year after we found out I was pregnant, we got tons of baby stuff at yard sales and craigslist. We went to some last weekend and got a high chair, a take a long swing, 2 sun hats, a bunch of pants for Lila and a few toys too. I love bargains!
- Our bestest friends Sy and Elizabeth are getting ready to have their baby soon. The due date is May 10 and the gender is a delivery surprise. I'm so excited to meet this little girl or boy and Lila is thrilled to have a baby "cousin" to grow up with. Hurry up baby, I want to cuddle a squishy newborn again!
- We have found a daycare for Miss Lila. I was dreading this decision, but I think we found a good place. It's an in-home daycare about 10 min from our house. I have a great feeling about it and there is even another baby girl close to Lila's age starting at the same time. She'll have a little friend! I return to work on June 29. I'm both excited and sad, but having a good daycare has eased my mind a lot.
- I started running again. Well I have once, haha and it was definately a run/walk combo! I'm doing the "couch to 5k" program to work my back up to running 30 mins in a row. I started on week 3 of the plan and I'll hopefully stick with it. I'd love to do the Redlegs Run again this year. Last year I was 5 weeks pregnant and didn't know it yet! Hopefully running will help me lose some more baby weight... I'm still about 15 lb from my pre-pregnancy weight and none of my clothes fit!
Okay enough random thoughts for now!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Lila at 2 months
Lila turned 2 months on Saturday! She has changed so much in the last month!
Weight - 11 lb, 4 oz ~ 40th %
Length - 23 in ~ 60th %
Head circumference - 15 ~ 50th %
Lila is still pretty average in size, just a bit on the longer/leaner side. She's definitely not a chunky, fat-roll kind of baby.
Diapers: Still size 1, and we still go thru 8-10 a day!
Clothes: 0-3 months and 3 month sizes and some 3-6 months. Some of her sleepers are getting too short and she's outgrown her Swaddleme wrap which was for up to 12 lbs.
Eating: Lila has spaced out her feedings to about every 3 hours during the day and hasn't had many crazy cluster feeding sessions this month. She's still doing really well with nursing and has also taken a bottle a few times from Neil or my mom. I'm trying to pump and start a freezer stash but I can't seem to find the time to pump, wash bottles etc while I'm trying to take care of her during the day. I only have 4 oz in the freezer, ha ha! Better get going on that.
Sleep: She is really hitting her stride with sleeping, usually around 7 consecutive hours a night from around midnight - 7am. Sometimes she falls asleep early (like 10:30) and will sleep til 6 or so. She still has her nights where she wakes up at 3:30 or 4 ready to eat, but goes right back to sleep. In the next few months I'm hoping to try to get her to sleep earlier (and 8:30 or 9 would be awesome!) just to make sure she's getting enough sleep and to give Neil and I some time together in the evenings. I also want to try to start doing a short bedtime routine with her. She's still sleeping in our bedroom in her bassinet, and still enjoys being swaddled.
Developmental milestones:
- Started really cooing (mostly Ahh sounds, but some Oohs and some consonants like Gaa)
- Rolled over from belly to back (just once and it took her forever!)
- She's smiling a lot and early in April started giggling! It's the best sound ever!!
- We do tummy time everyday and she doesn't really like it, but she can lift her head pretty well and get up on her knees for a bit
- She can sometimes put her own pacifier back in her mouth when it falls out
- She can bear some weight on her legs while we hold her up
- Seems to recognize mommy and daddy's voices
- Seems to be seeing a lot better and for longer distances
- Has a much longer attention span and awake times
- Looks at and bats at toys
Appearance:
- Her eyes are much bluer, hair on top much blonder. She still has dark hair in the back
- Still looks like a pretty equal mix of me and Neil. Of course some people say she looks just like me, or just like Neil!
- Her hands are so big now! Her feet really haven't grown that much. She can wear newborn shoes (0-6 weeks)
- Baby acne cleared around 6 or 7 weeks. She still has her splotchy moments, but looks so much better!
Firsts:
Trip out of town - To Portsmouth (2 hour drive) at 5 weeks. Slept the whole drive and did great staying at my parents' house!
Restaurant - At almost 6 weeks we went to a casual restaurant with Elizabeth and Rachel. She slept the whole time!
Store - 6 weeks old to Target
Favorites:
Okay I realize I'm a crazy mom, but I really do think she has some favorites or preferences already!
Songs - I sing to her all the time! Our favorites: "Edelweiss" from Sound of Music, "Goodnight my Someone" from Music Man, "Tonight" from West Side Story, "You Are My Sunshine", "Beautiful Beautiful Brown Eyes" (changed to BLUE of course), "Someone to Watch Over Me" by Gershwin, "Baby Mine" from Dumbo, "As Long As You're Mine" from Wicked... Can we say Broadway Baby?!
Color - Can she even see colors yet? Haha.. it's probably pink!
Animal - I swear she reacts more to cows than any other animal in books, etc..
Blanket - Pink and white striped one from her Great Grandma Miller
Lila loves:
Her carseat, and car rides
Being rocked
Her pacifier (didn't like it in her first month)
Ceiling fans and light fixtures
Bathtime and naked time until she gets cold!
Being held
Music!
Daddy's laugh
Her grandparents
Taking walks
Lila doesn't like:
Tummy time
Shots!
Missing her naps
Being cold
Her swing (side to side)
She's really a joy. I understand now what people mean about how amazing it is to be a parent. I love her unconditionally and wholeheartedly! She is such a good baby and makes us laugh all the time. It's not always easy or fun, but I really I'm trying to cherish every moment with her.
My life has changed so much since she's arrived. In some ways I miss how it used to be: the sleep, the alone time, my old body, eating at a leisurely pace, and especially time with Neil. But, it's getting easier and better everyday and totally worth it. She is growing up before our eyes and time is flying by! I can't wait to see how she changes in the next month. Happy 2 month birthday Miss Lila!
Two months:
Weight - 11 lb, 4 oz ~ 40th %
Length - 23 in ~ 60th %
Head circumference - 15 ~ 50th %
Lila is still pretty average in size, just a bit on the longer/leaner side. She's definitely not a chunky, fat-roll kind of baby.
Diapers: Still size 1, and we still go thru 8-10 a day!
Clothes: 0-3 months and 3 month sizes and some 3-6 months. Some of her sleepers are getting too short and she's outgrown her Swaddleme wrap which was for up to 12 lbs.
Eating: Lila has spaced out her feedings to about every 3 hours during the day and hasn't had many crazy cluster feeding sessions this month. She's still doing really well with nursing and has also taken a bottle a few times from Neil or my mom. I'm trying to pump and start a freezer stash but I can't seem to find the time to pump, wash bottles etc while I'm trying to take care of her during the day. I only have 4 oz in the freezer, ha ha! Better get going on that.
Sleep: She is really hitting her stride with sleeping, usually around 7 consecutive hours a night from around midnight - 7am. Sometimes she falls asleep early (like 10:30) and will sleep til 6 or so. She still has her nights where she wakes up at 3:30 or 4 ready to eat, but goes right back to sleep. In the next few months I'm hoping to try to get her to sleep earlier (and 8:30 or 9 would be awesome!) just to make sure she's getting enough sleep and to give Neil and I some time together in the evenings. I also want to try to start doing a short bedtime routine with her. She's still sleeping in our bedroom in her bassinet, and still enjoys being swaddled.
Developmental milestones:
- Started really cooing (mostly Ahh sounds, but some Oohs and some consonants like Gaa)
- Rolled over from belly to back (just once and it took her forever!)
- She's smiling a lot and early in April started giggling! It's the best sound ever!!
- We do tummy time everyday and she doesn't really like it, but she can lift her head pretty well and get up on her knees for a bit
- She can sometimes put her own pacifier back in her mouth when it falls out
- She can bear some weight on her legs while we hold her up
- Seems to recognize mommy and daddy's voices
- Seems to be seeing a lot better and for longer distances
- Has a much longer attention span and awake times
- Looks at and bats at toys
Appearance:
- Her eyes are much bluer, hair on top much blonder. She still has dark hair in the back
- Still looks like a pretty equal mix of me and Neil. Of course some people say she looks just like me, or just like Neil!
- Her hands are so big now! Her feet really haven't grown that much. She can wear newborn shoes (0-6 weeks)
- Baby acne cleared around 6 or 7 weeks. She still has her splotchy moments, but looks so much better!
Firsts:
Trip out of town - To Portsmouth (2 hour drive) at 5 weeks. Slept the whole drive and did great staying at my parents' house!
Restaurant - At almost 6 weeks we went to a casual restaurant with Elizabeth and Rachel. She slept the whole time!
Store - 6 weeks old to Target
Favorites:
Okay I realize I'm a crazy mom, but I really do think she has some favorites or preferences already!
Songs - I sing to her all the time! Our favorites: "Edelweiss" from Sound of Music, "Goodnight my Someone" from Music Man, "Tonight" from West Side Story, "You Are My Sunshine", "Beautiful Beautiful Brown Eyes" (changed to BLUE of course), "Someone to Watch Over Me" by Gershwin, "Baby Mine" from Dumbo, "As Long As You're Mine" from Wicked... Can we say Broadway Baby?!
Color - Can she even see colors yet? Haha.. it's probably pink!
Animal - I swear she reacts more to cows than any other animal in books, etc..
Blanket - Pink and white striped one from her Great Grandma Miller
Lila loves:
Her carseat, and car rides
Being rocked
Her pacifier (didn't like it in her first month)
Ceiling fans and light fixtures
Bathtime and naked time until she gets cold!
Being held
Music!
Daddy's laugh
Her grandparents
Taking walks
Lila doesn't like:
Tummy time
Shots!
Missing her naps
Being cold
Her swing (side to side)
She's really a joy. I understand now what people mean about how amazing it is to be a parent. I love her unconditionally and wholeheartedly! She is such a good baby and makes us laugh all the time. It's not always easy or fun, but I really I'm trying to cherish every moment with her.
My life has changed so much since she's arrived. In some ways I miss how it used to be: the sleep, the alone time, my old body, eating at a leisurely pace, and especially time with Neil. But, it's getting easier and better everyday and totally worth it. She is growing up before our eyes and time is flying by! I can't wait to see how she changes in the next month. Happy 2 month birthday Miss Lila!
Two months:
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