We're 40 days away from what I am deeming my unofficial due date, May 10. I will be 36 weeks on that day and I hope and pray that the twins stay put until at least then.
The only word to describe Carson's and my initial reaction to having the twins is shock. Carson and I had both taken off work the day we had our first ultrasound and we had originally planned on having a fun day date afterwards. Instead, we came straight home and sat on the couch...barely speaking. We both had a million questions and concerns but the shock initially just...silenced us.
Will I be able to breastfeed? Yet to be determined, but I really hope so. I've been reading as much as I can about it and I know it CAN be done.
Will I be able to deliver naturally? Yet to be determined, but I would love to be able to. I already know it will be different. To be honest, this was one of the first things that I grieved about (for lack of a better term) when I found out we were having twins. Looking back on Allie's birth, there's not a single thing that I would change and the thought of having a repeat experience was immediately taken from me when we saw the ultrasound screen. The stars have to align for my doctor to allow me to have a natural delivery: they both have to be head down, they have to be very close to the same weight, no induction, and they have to be healthy. I hate my doctor. And I have hated this entire time how she has been so hell-bent on having a C-section. IF I deliver naturally, I will have to have an epidural and will have to deliver in an operating room, in case an emergency C-section is required. So far, we have never seen both babies with their heads down. On Tuesday, Twin A was breech and Twin B was transverse. There is a small part of me that just hopes that they don't get in the correct position. If they do turn and for whatever reason, I'm not able to try to deliver naturally, I think I will be even more upset about losing that opportunity. However, if they never turn and C-section is our only option, I will feel more at ease. To be honest, having a C-section terrifies me and opens up so many more questions that I have. For now, I'm just trying not to think about it too much.
How will Allie feel? I'm still so worried about this. Initially, Allie was just getting a sibling. Now she is getting 2 siblings that are already going to have this incredible bond. Will she feel left out?
Will I ever sleep again? Another thing I'm just trying not to think too much about. Thankfully, now that twins are in our life, we are seeing twins pop up everywhere! People that have found out that I am having twins have been very quick (but not annoyingly so) to tell me that it is not double the work, that everything will be okay, and that a schedule is KEY. The twin community seems to be very much more supportive than the singleton community--where it sometimes feels like everyone is just out to point out the things you're doing wrong.
Will they be healthy? Still a huge concern of ours. There are a couple of things that have been found on the ultrasound that would suggest otherwise...or...could mean nothing at all. We won't know until I deliver.
They can't merge together, can they? This was a HUGE concern of mine in the beginning! It's crazy how much we have learned about twins and how much we didn't know that we didn't know! I was terrified that if they got too close they would become conjoined somehow, but I quickly learned that that all depends on when the egg splits.
Are they identical? Our girls are considered Mono-Di twins, which means they are sharing a placenta but are in separate sacs. In other words, yes, they are identical. To me, they look pretty different in the ultrasound pictures and I'm kind of hoping they aren't COMPLETELY the same. One less thing to think about for the rest of my life, "Now, which one are you again?"
What will I look like after this? I don't even care that this is incredibly selfish. Bouncing back from one baby was not a problem at all and I had not a care in the world about bouncing back from the second pregnancy until finding out there were 2... Now I'm terrified that I won't ever feel or look like I did before.
How in the world are we going to do this? Yet to be determined.
Do we need a bigger car? Thankfully, we went with the almost full-size SUV when we upgraded my car a couple of years ago. We bought narrow infant car seats and it may be tight for a while until Allie is bumped up to a booster seat, but we're going to make it work!
What am I going to do about work? I'm going to take a break from working. Carson and I decided that at the end of the day, if we're trying to split our time between work, kids, and each other that we would both be at the end of our rope.
Can we afford 3 kids in daycare--2 being infants? The answer is yes, but we decided that it just isn't worth it.
Will I be able to handle staying at home? We shall see!
How much more stuff are we going to need? We're hoping to keep excess stuff to a minimum. We still need to buy a few things, but we're going to try to wait on most things until we truly feel like we NEED them.
In many ways, this pregnancy has been easier than the first. I knew a little bit about what to expect. My body definitely knew a little bit about what to expect. I haven't had the pelvis pain or popping that I had before and haven't had the need to wear any type of support. I'm doing my best to take it easy. I'm very ready to quit working but everything is going really well so far so there is no reason to stop just yet.
Hopefully these babies stay put for 40 more days!
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Sunday, August 10, 2014
thirteen months
This month, Allie Faye:
*says "Mama", "Dada", "Bye-bye", and "Dog"
*waves "Bye-bye" to me everyday when I drop her off at daycare
*grabs a book and backs herself into our laps for us to read to her
*pushes her shopping cart around the house
*puts things away
*loves balloons
*loves playing on the couch
*climbs on everything
*eats everything quickly
*loves to be outside
*bear crawls everywhere
*wears 18-24 month clothes and size 3 diapers
Sunday, July 27, 2014
twelve months
On July 10, our little lady turned one! We've had so much fun with Allie over the past couple of months. Carson and I have been reflecting a lot on this past year and we both agree that the first 3 months of Allie's life were by far some of the most difficult months for us as parents and individually. Being first time parents has been so incredibly hard but so rewarding. As soon as we have something totally figured out, everything changes. Now we're tackling toddler-hood and it is already very different. Our quiet, curious little baby has started to test the boundaries of her vocal cords. We always knew it was coming but man, it happens overnight. Either way, we often find ourselves asking "Are other kids this fun?" We love this little baby so much.
The weeks before Allie turned one, she became more and more vocal. We can tell she's really trying to communicate with us and every now and then it sounds like she's saying 'Hempi' or 'Buddha'. She mastered 'uh-oh', 'mama' and 'dada' and calls most things 'ba-da'. She also learned how to clap and is totally done with bottles and sippy cups now.
Aside from the communication, everything else has been very steady. Allie still has the same bedtime routine and still wakes up at the same time. She's still taking 3 naps a day on the weekends and 2 naps a day at daycare (sometimes she catnaps on the way home) but at daycare in August, they're going to try to transition her to 1 nap a day. She hasn't started to stand or walk yet but she LOVES to climb everything. She can climb onto the small chairs that we have in her room and she likes to climb inside the cabinets. She loves to get inside the dogs kennels (gross, we know) and open and close the doors. She has recently started to hand us things and she's gotten really good at putting things back...like putting her blocks back inside her bucket and putting her books back on the shelf. Every morning when I wake her up, she hands me her Eeyore and Pooh and she thinks it's just the greatest thing ever. I'm hoping this means she'll be good at sharing, haha.
Her first reaction to her birthday presents: "Can I climb on this?"
Other things she's been loving lately are our phones, the remotes, the dog toys, and my old American Girl doll. We got her a water table for her birthday and she loves splashing around in that. I think she starting to really like being outside. She doesn't mind being in the grass anymore but she does still bear crawl.
A new baby started a daycare and Allie had a really hard time adjusting. She was incredibly needy at home and at daycare. Normally, I can sit on the floor while she plays, but that week, if I was sitting Allie was in my lap clinging to my neck. She cried more than normal and was just out of sorts. Thankfully, it did only last a week and now she's back to normal. As the baby gets older, I think it's getting easier on Allie. She's becoming more of a playmate than someone who steals the attention from Allie.
Allie has still been wearing a mix of 12-18 and 18-24 month clothes. She's still in size 3 diapers. She weighed 22.4 pounds at her checkup on her birthday. She was also anemic, so we have a follow up appointment in a few weeks to see if a few changes in her diet have helped the situation. We ran out of formula on her birthday and started her on organic whole milk. It's probably the thickest thing she's ever had to drink, so sometimes I think it's hard for her to finish all of it.
For Allie's birthday, we were able to spend a few days in Long Beach with Carson's parents. Allie enjoyed her first pool party at the hotel and we were able to take the ferry to Catalina Island for a day. It was a wonderful, relaxing trip and we were so thankful that Allie was able to spend her birthday with her grandparents.
In other news, the past couple weeks have been a whirlwind for all of us. Carson found out at the end of June that a position was open with his company in Houston. He has since applied, interviewed, and been offered said position so he will officially be starting on September 29!
The weeks before Allie turned one, she became more and more vocal. We can tell she's really trying to communicate with us and every now and then it sounds like she's saying 'Hempi' or 'Buddha'. She mastered 'uh-oh', 'mama' and 'dada' and calls most things 'ba-da'. She also learned how to clap and is totally done with bottles and sippy cups now.
Aside from the communication, everything else has been very steady. Allie still has the same bedtime routine and still wakes up at the same time. She's still taking 3 naps a day on the weekends and 2 naps a day at daycare (sometimes she catnaps on the way home) but at daycare in August, they're going to try to transition her to 1 nap a day. She hasn't started to stand or walk yet but she LOVES to climb everything. She can climb onto the small chairs that we have in her room and she likes to climb inside the cabinets. She loves to get inside the dogs kennels (gross, we know) and open and close the doors. She has recently started to hand us things and she's gotten really good at putting things back...like putting her blocks back inside her bucket and putting her books back on the shelf. Every morning when I wake her up, she hands me her Eeyore and Pooh and she thinks it's just the greatest thing ever. I'm hoping this means she'll be good at sharing, haha.
Her first reaction to her birthday presents: "Can I climb on this?"
Other things she's been loving lately are our phones, the remotes, the dog toys, and my old American Girl doll. We got her a water table for her birthday and she loves splashing around in that. I think she starting to really like being outside. She doesn't mind being in the grass anymore but she does still bear crawl.
A new baby started a daycare and Allie had a really hard time adjusting. She was incredibly needy at home and at daycare. Normally, I can sit on the floor while she plays, but that week, if I was sitting Allie was in my lap clinging to my neck. She cried more than normal and was just out of sorts. Thankfully, it did only last a week and now she's back to normal. As the baby gets older, I think it's getting easier on Allie. She's becoming more of a playmate than someone who steals the attention from Allie.
Allie has still been wearing a mix of 12-18 and 18-24 month clothes. She's still in size 3 diapers. She weighed 22.4 pounds at her checkup on her birthday. She was also anemic, so we have a follow up appointment in a few weeks to see if a few changes in her diet have helped the situation. We ran out of formula on her birthday and started her on organic whole milk. It's probably the thickest thing she's ever had to drink, so sometimes I think it's hard for her to finish all of it.
For Allie's birthday, we were able to spend a few days in Long Beach with Carson's parents. Allie enjoyed her first pool party at the hotel and we were able to take the ferry to Catalina Island for a day. It was a wonderful, relaxing trip and we were so thankful that Allie was able to spend her birthday with her grandparents.
In other news, the past couple weeks have been a whirlwind for all of us. Carson found out at the end of June that a position was open with his company in Houston. He has since applied, interviewed, and been offered said position so he will officially be starting on September 29!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
eleven months
Allie Faye turned eleven months old a couple of days ago! She has learned so much over the past month. She started dancing and if she likes something that she's eating or if she hears any kind of music, she starts bobbing her head. She learned how to press the button that opens and closes the garage door--now after she gets it, she does a little jig every time. It's pretty darn precious. She's still not walking but every day she seems more confident as she walks around holding on to things. She has stood on her own a FEW times but isn't comfortable standing without at least balancing her elbows on a ledge or an open drawer. She still loves sorting through things. She opens every drawer and cabinet she can reach and will pull out the things she doesn't think belong in there.
She wakes up every morning between 6-7. On the weekends, she is still taking 3 naps. Usually the morning nap is the longest. She goes to bed between 7-8 every night. The way she sleeps has changed a lot this last month. She's like a little Mexican jumping bean throughout the night. She's on her belly, then on her back, then on her side, then on her back, and so on and so forth throughout the night. She's gotten snuggly with her blankets lately too. Usually they're tucked under her but truly, I never know how I'm going to find her in the morning. She's really good at entertaining herself in her crib when she wakes up. She picks her sound on the Sleep Sheep and reads her book to her friend. (She has a lot of friends in her crib.) It's wonderful when I'm alone in the mornings getting ready for work. I try not to leave her too long but for 15 minutes or so, she's totally cool with it.
It's becoming more and more difficult to get Allie to sit still long enough to finish her bottles. Usually on the weekends she gets 4-6 ounce bottles but she almost never eats everything. We give her breakfast, lunch, and dinner so I'm not too worried that she's not finishing the formula. This month she's been eating lots of sweet potatoes, blueberries, edemame and apples. She also typically gets some of whatever we're eating.
She's now wearing 12-18 or 18-24 month clothes. She's still wearing size 3 diapers. We put her in a plain white onesie every night for bed since it's so hot here now. We've been sending her to daycare in plain white onesies mostly now because of how often she was coming home with stains in her clothes. Hopefully that's just a phase?? (Veteran moms will probably laugh at that.)
This past month, we finally bit the bullet and turned our dining room into a faux playroom. It's nice to be able to keep her contained in a large area and know she can't get into anything she's not supposed to. It looks like a Toys-R-Us exploded in there, but better that it's all in one spot rather than everywhere in the house, right?
Carson and I were able to sneak away for a few days to visit Portland with some friends. On one hand, we REALLLLLY missed her. We thought about her and talked about her constantly. On the other hand, it was SOOO nice to be able to travel just like we used to. While we were gone, Carson's parents were able to teach Allie how to drink from a straw. I don't know how they did it, but I'm so glad she knows now!
I absolutely adore this little baby and I love watching her grow and learn. I can't believe in just a few short weeks, she will be a year old!
She wakes up every morning between 6-7. On the weekends, she is still taking 3 naps. Usually the morning nap is the longest. She goes to bed between 7-8 every night. The way she sleeps has changed a lot this last month. She's like a little Mexican jumping bean throughout the night. She's on her belly, then on her back, then on her side, then on her back, and so on and so forth throughout the night. She's gotten snuggly with her blankets lately too. Usually they're tucked under her but truly, I never know how I'm going to find her in the morning. She's really good at entertaining herself in her crib when she wakes up. She picks her sound on the Sleep Sheep and reads her book to her friend. (She has a lot of friends in her crib.) It's wonderful when I'm alone in the mornings getting ready for work. I try not to leave her too long but for 15 minutes or so, she's totally cool with it.
She's now wearing 12-18 or 18-24 month clothes. She's still wearing size 3 diapers. We put her in a plain white onesie every night for bed since it's so hot here now. We've been sending her to daycare in plain white onesies mostly now because of how often she was coming home with stains in her clothes. Hopefully that's just a phase?? (Veteran moms will probably laugh at that.)
This past month, we finally bit the bullet and turned our dining room into a faux playroom. It's nice to be able to keep her contained in a large area and know she can't get into anything she's not supposed to. It looks like a Toys-R-Us exploded in there, but better that it's all in one spot rather than everywhere in the house, right?
Carson and I were able to sneak away for a few days to visit Portland with some friends. On one hand, we REALLLLLY missed her. We thought about her and talked about her constantly. On the other hand, it was SOOO nice to be able to travel just like we used to. While we were gone, Carson's parents were able to teach Allie how to drink from a straw. I don't know how they did it, but I'm so glad she knows now!
I absolutely adore this little baby and I love watching her grow and learn. I can't believe in just a few short weeks, she will be a year old!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
ten months
Our precious little baby is 10 months old today! This past month has been all about exploring. Allie hardly plays with her toys when she's at home. She would rather eat the dirt in the potted plants or open and close the fireplace doors or crawl underneath the chairs. We often just watch her from a distance and let her do her own thing. It's so much fun to watch her figure things out.
She's really vocal and likes to attempt to repeat the things we say to her. I try to make a point to name whatever she's holding or pointing at so that it will click sooner rather than later. This past month she started waving and playing with her tongue. One day as she was eating, she randomly started sticking her tongue out and hasn't stopped since. Now, when we least expect it, she'll start jutting her tongue out. Waving is hit or miss, but when she gets it right, it's absolutely adorable.
Allie eats almost everything we eat now. I still think this has been the best age by far to take her out to restaurants with us. She is independent enough to keep herself entertained. She eats from our plates or we ask for an avocado or some fruit and she snacks on that while we eat. We're trying to introduce her to as much as we can...in hopes that in a couple of months she won't be a picky eater. The only thing we've given her that she didn't seem too sure of was tomatoes. She ate them, but we got lots of these faces...
She's also 100% on formula now. It's really convenient in some ways and completely inconvenient in other ways. We were able to transition to sippy cups, which has been WONDERFUL...though I've had a really hard time finding ones that we liked. I bought some of the Nuk Trainer Cups (and she now gets 6 oz. of formula 5 times a day). I really like that they still show the measurements on the side and have a soft spout. But I find them in the bottle section, which makes me think they're not true "sippy" cups. Allie is always interested in what I'm drinking so I'm hoping I can get her to use a straw sooner or later. Another super helpful thing that we bought is this snack and formula dispenser. It's nice to be able to carry around just what we would need for 1 or 2 bottles, as opposed to carrying around the whole container or buying those single serve packets. We've tried both Enfamil and Similac. I haven't noticed much of a difference in Allie between the two but I like Enfamil better just because I find it's easier to mix together.
We've had a tough time in the teething department this month. She really didn't have any issues at all with her first 4, but this 5th one really bothered her. There were a few days that he teeth were so swollen it looked like she had Chiclets in her gums. We could tell she wasn't feeling great. She was still active and interested in things, but just didn't react the way she normally does. Thankfully after about 2 or 3 rough days, her top left incisor popped through. The right side was swollen in this picture as well but it hasn't seemed to start bothering her yet. I'm guessing it will happen soon.
Summer is almost here in Bakersfield. A lot of Allie's 6-12 month clothes were pants and long-sleeved onesies, so I moved her up to her summer 12-18 month clothes. She's still in size 3 diapers. She wears size 3 or 9-12 month shoes if the occasion calls for it.
She is still saying "Dada" and has recently added "Mama" "Rara" "Bada" to her "vocabulary" over the past couple of weeks. She's still super flexible and has always been so easy to travel with. We went to San Luis Obispo the weekend before Easter and had the chance to hike a little and use our backpack again. She's a lot heavier than she was back in January!
We also were able to fly home to visit family and friends for Easter. During our trip, we took Allie to the Houston Zoo (our membership to the local "zoo" got us in for free!). It was great to see Allie experiencing the zoo just like we had as kids.
While we were in Texas, we were able to take the obligatory bluebonnet photos and Allie enjoyed her first Easter Egg hunt. All in all, it was the perfect trip. We came back a little bit tanner and a lot more homesick.
No signs of walking yet but we'll see how much things change in the next month!
She's really vocal and likes to attempt to repeat the things we say to her. I try to make a point to name whatever she's holding or pointing at so that it will click sooner rather than later. This past month she started waving and playing with her tongue. One day as she was eating, she randomly started sticking her tongue out and hasn't stopped since. Now, when we least expect it, she'll start jutting her tongue out. Waving is hit or miss, but when she gets it right, it's absolutely adorable.
Allie eats almost everything we eat now. I still think this has been the best age by far to take her out to restaurants with us. She is independent enough to keep herself entertained. She eats from our plates or we ask for an avocado or some fruit and she snacks on that while we eat. We're trying to introduce her to as much as we can...in hopes that in a couple of months she won't be a picky eater. The only thing we've given her that she didn't seem too sure of was tomatoes. She ate them, but we got lots of these faces...
She's also 100% on formula now. It's really convenient in some ways and completely inconvenient in other ways. We were able to transition to sippy cups, which has been WONDERFUL...though I've had a really hard time finding ones that we liked. I bought some of the Nuk Trainer Cups (and she now gets 6 oz. of formula 5 times a day). I really like that they still show the measurements on the side and have a soft spout. But I find them in the bottle section, which makes me think they're not true "sippy" cups. Allie is always interested in what I'm drinking so I'm hoping I can get her to use a straw sooner or later. Another super helpful thing that we bought is this snack and formula dispenser. It's nice to be able to carry around just what we would need for 1 or 2 bottles, as opposed to carrying around the whole container or buying those single serve packets. We've tried both Enfamil and Similac. I haven't noticed much of a difference in Allie between the two but I like Enfamil better just because I find it's easier to mix together.
We've had a tough time in the teething department this month. She really didn't have any issues at all with her first 4, but this 5th one really bothered her. There were a few days that he teeth were so swollen it looked like she had Chiclets in her gums. We could tell she wasn't feeling great. She was still active and interested in things, but just didn't react the way she normally does. Thankfully after about 2 or 3 rough days, her top left incisor popped through. The right side was swollen in this picture as well but it hasn't seemed to start bothering her yet. I'm guessing it will happen soon.
Summer is almost here in Bakersfield. A lot of Allie's 6-12 month clothes were pants and long-sleeved onesies, so I moved her up to her summer 12-18 month clothes. She's still in size 3 diapers. She wears size 3 or 9-12 month shoes if the occasion calls for it.
She is still saying "Dada" and has recently added "Mama" "Rara" "Bada" to her "vocabulary" over the past couple of weeks. She's still super flexible and has always been so easy to travel with. We went to San Luis Obispo the weekend before Easter and had the chance to hike a little and use our backpack again. She's a lot heavier than she was back in January!
We also were able to fly home to visit family and friends for Easter. During our trip, we took Allie to the Houston Zoo (our membership to the local "zoo" got us in for free!). It was great to see Allie experiencing the zoo just like we had as kids.
While we were in Texas, we were able to take the obligatory bluebonnet photos and Allie enjoyed her first Easter Egg hunt. All in all, it was the perfect trip. We came back a little bit tanner and a lot more homesick.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
nine months
Allie Faye is nine months old! I think this past month has been the most challenging one for me yet. Not because Allie is a difficult baby. Things are just changing and I had gotten really comfortable with the newborn/survival phase. Now we're venturing into the exploring/learning phase and I don't feel prepared.
As far as solid food goes, Allie is over purees. She loves using her hands to feed herself and I'll admit, there have been days that I've let her do it with mashed potatoes. About 2 weeks ago, she just really started turning her nose up at a spoon. It has completely thrown me for a loop. Again, I feel like I really got purees. They were easy. We could cook the veggies, puree them, and toss them in the freezer for a later day. Now I feel like I need to plan Allie's meals. There have been a few times that we've gotten caught with really nothing to feed her. Also, I have no clue how MUCH to feed her. From what I read you're supposed to just listen to the baby's cues. I've never seen Allie refuse food. If it's in front of her, she'll eat it. I don't want to overfeed her but I don't know how much is enough.
Allie hates grass but loves playing with the dirt in the house plant pots. She loves playing with the dogs tails and if you act like you're interested in something, she wants to know what it is immediately. She took a hiatus from saying 'da-da' almost all month but just in the past couple of days started saying it again. She seems to understand when she's not supposed to do something/touch something/eat something because as soon as we start coming towards her, she "sprints" (crawls quickly) away. She can pull herself up on almost anything with ease these days. This month she also figured herself how to lower back down to the ground. She doesn't seem interested in walking yet and actually she even seems less interested in standing lately. She has gotten really, really good at crawling though. This month, she also learned how to transition from being on her belly to sitting up. Once she was able to pull herself up, one day she just sat backwards a little further and found herself sitting up! Needless to say, naptime is a lot different now. But she's a lot more pleasant when she wakes up from naps now because she just plays and entertains herself.
This past month, Allie was able to spend time with all 4 grandparents! Who knows that will happen again, so it was a pretty special month. We're getting ready to spend Easter in Texas in a couple of days and Allie will get to meet the rest of Carson's family. I'm a little nervous of flying with her again. We haven't done it since she was 2 months old and I know it will be a completely different experience this time. I'm really excited to see everyone though and for Allie to experience Texas for the first time! Hopefully there are bluebonnets left so we can take some pictures!
At her 9 month appointment today, Allie weighed 19.7 pounds and was 27 inches long. We've definitely noticed that she's quite a bit longer and leaner these days. She's constantly on the go and I think that's really caused her to slim down. In the past day or so, her front top left tooth has finally pushed through. It's been REALLY close for about a week now and we were just able to feel it today. Her two little bottom teeth are getting bigger and are so adorable, if teeth can be such a thing.
She's wearing a mix of 6-12 and 12-18 month clothes. It's getting warmer, so we're not putting her in pjs at night any more. She can wear size 2 or 3 diapers.
Last week, we started giving Allie formula. I'm still attempting to nurse once in the morning and once at night but I'm not sure how long that will last. I was pulling from my freezer stash every day in addition to pumping 5 times a day just to get enough milk to send with Allie to daycare. I drank the tea, ate more food than I thought was possible, drank more water than I thought was possible, and in the end, it just wasn't enough. I have so many mixed emotions about formula. I don't know how much to give her and I don't know what kind to buy. Allie doesn't seem to mind one bit but I can't help but feel like my body failed me. Pregnancy, labor and recovery were such a breeze for me. I didn't think I would struggle with nursing once I got the hang of it. I never said it, but I always hoped I could make it to at least a year. Maybe I didn't try everything and I'm sure that will bother me for a while. Maybe I can do better the second time around. Either way, a part of me is glad to be done with the pump. Now we can move on to tackling sippy cups since I'm no longer cautious about wasting milk.
As far as solid food goes, Allie is over purees. She loves using her hands to feed herself and I'll admit, there have been days that I've let her do it with mashed potatoes. About 2 weeks ago, she just really started turning her nose up at a spoon. It has completely thrown me for a loop. Again, I feel like I really got purees. They were easy. We could cook the veggies, puree them, and toss them in the freezer for a later day. Now I feel like I need to plan Allie's meals. There have been a few times that we've gotten caught with really nothing to feed her. Also, I have no clue how MUCH to feed her. From what I read you're supposed to just listen to the baby's cues. I've never seen Allie refuse food. If it's in front of her, she'll eat it. I don't want to overfeed her but I don't know how much is enough.
Allie hates grass but loves playing with the dirt in the house plant pots. She loves playing with the dogs tails and if you act like you're interested in something, she wants to know what it is immediately. She took a hiatus from saying 'da-da' almost all month but just in the past couple of days started saying it again. She seems to understand when she's not supposed to do something/touch something/eat something because as soon as we start coming towards her, she "sprints" (crawls quickly) away. She can pull herself up on almost anything with ease these days. This month she also figured herself how to lower back down to the ground. She doesn't seem interested in walking yet and actually she even seems less interested in standing lately. She has gotten really, really good at crawling though. This month, she also learned how to transition from being on her belly to sitting up. Once she was able to pull herself up, one day she just sat backwards a little further and found herself sitting up! Needless to say, naptime is a lot different now. But she's a lot more pleasant when she wakes up from naps now because she just plays and entertains herself.
This past month, Allie was able to spend time with all 4 grandparents! Who knows that will happen again, so it was a pretty special month. We're getting ready to spend Easter in Texas in a couple of days and Allie will get to meet the rest of Carson's family. I'm a little nervous of flying with her again. We haven't done it since she was 2 months old and I know it will be a completely different experience this time. I'm really excited to see everyone though and for Allie to experience Texas for the first time! Hopefully there are bluebonnets left so we can take some pictures!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
eight months
Our little lady is 8 months old today! It feels like she changed so much lately. This month we had to lower her crib to the lowest setting, she learned how to blow raspberries (she mimics us when we do it), and she sings along to her favorite nursery rhyme toy. She's pulling herself up on everything, crawls half-standing, says 'da-da', and is just an absolute joy each and every day.
I'm happy to report that after 5 days of an inhaler and medicine for RSV at the beginning of the month, Allie has been perfectly healthy this month. She officially has 2 bottom teeth and she's constantly gnawing on something so I don't think it will be long before more push through.
Allie is wearing 6-12 month onesies and pants. Size 3 diapers. 9 month PJs. A couple of days ago, we both agreed that she has gotten leaner lately. I think being so active is making her lose some baby pudge.
Allie's beloved teething toy has gone missing but I luckily found a very similar silicone toy in San Francisco that seems to suffice. (Update: I found the toy under the bed in a certain dog's mouth. A replacement has been ordered.)
She loves sorting through things like our laundry, the magazine basket, her shoes and her toy bucket. She'll be entertained for 15-20 minutes at a time...just sitting there...pulling things out, pulling things apart, trying to eat things... She also is loving the spring door stops around the house. I can sneak away for a quick second and know she's still in the same spot because the sound reverberates through the house.
Carson's mom stayed with us for a week and helped Allie recover from RSV. I think it was really good for Allie to be at home that week and get 100% better and we are so thankful that Laurie was able to come stay with us.
She loves sorting through things like our laundry, the magazine basket, her shoes and her toy bucket. She'll be entertained for 15-20 minutes at a time...just sitting there...pulling things out, pulling things apart, trying to eat things... She also is loving the spring door stops around the house. I can sneak away for a quick second and know she's still in the same spot because the sound reverberates through the house.
Carson's mom stayed with us for a week and helped Allie recover from RSV. I think it was really good for Allie to be at home that week and get 100% better and we are so thankful that Laurie was able to come stay with us.
At daycare, they're trying to phase her out of her 3rd nap of the day. She typically takes a short catnap and I really don't want her to drop it just yet. If she doesn't take it, by the time I get her home and fed, she's absolutely exhausted and I don't get to spend hardly any time with her. If she does take that 3rd nap, she still has enough energy to play around with us for about an hour after we get home. Her schedule didn't change much from last month. She is in bed every night by 7 and she wakes up between 6-7. She nurses 4-5 times each day during the weekend and gets 2-3 meals. We just recently introduced her to puffs and started giving her more of our food, like crackers and yogurt.
I almost ran completely out of milk in the freezer earlier this month when Allie was sick. Around that same time, I got sick and everything just tanked. I started eating steel cut oats every morning and had mother's milk tea for a couple of nights and noticed a big difference. After our weekend in San Francisco, I still haven't gotten back up to where I was. I'm hoping I can continue adding to the freezer stash these next couple of weeks so that I won't have to introduce formula when Carson and I are in Portland in May.
Lately I'm realize that I need to work on how I ask things and how I approach different situations especially when talking to/dealing with other mothers. Sometimes genuine curiosity seems to come out as thought I think my child is better. Nobody wants to be that person.
Lately I'm realize that I need to work on how I ask things and how I approach different situations especially when talking to/dealing with other mothers. Sometimes genuine curiosity seems to come out as thought I think my child is better. Nobody wants to be that person.
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