From today, a VERY happy baby at the zoo!
And Emma with her Grandma and Grandpa Lewis last week.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
It's All Good
Life is good!
Work kept me very busy these last two weeks and even though it means I'm working in the evenings after Emma goes to bed, it also means we have money to pay the bills and I'm not worrying as much. I'm very thankful I've got a good job and one I like.
After introducing and her finally "getting" the sippy cup, we're getting more milk into her! She gets a sippy cup with breastmilk with every solid meal now. At daycare today she drank 3 1/2 oz from a bottle, then an hour later drank 3 oz from a sippy cup, and then a couple of hours later, drank another 3 oz from a bottle. She got 12 1/2 oz of milk at daycare today! She's been averaging 10+ this past week, which is phenomenal and I'm very happy about.
She's also getting better at the chewing thing, and eating her solids with more vigor. Tonight we went out to eat, and she had bites of our chicken dumplings and pieces of avocado that were on my sushi roll. She LOVED the dumpling. Almost ate an entire one with our help. Then she nursed while we were still in the restaurant, PLUS she nursed when we got home.
Can we say "growth spurt?" LOL.
This also means more peaceful nights. We're giving her tylenol because with the amount of drool, I was suspecting a tooth and I was right. So she falls asleep quickly now again (tonight without even having my hand on her or me shushing her, I was just standing by the crib) and last night she drank at 11pm, 1:30am, and then not again until 5am! Oh, I'm so very happy. And she was so cute -- she farted a big adult-sized fart at 5am and woke herself up. So we all got up and while I got ready for work, she and Daddy played quietly in the front room. And then around 6am I took her up and nursed her, and we all cuddled together in bed. She fell asleep around 6:20am. I got up at 7 to leave for work, and Daddy texted me later to tell me they both slept until 8:20am. With that 2-hour nap, she got about 12 1/2 hours of sleep last night.
Naps at daycare are still not great, but it's all good.... we'll figure that out too. I'm feeling peaceful and fulfilled, and thanking God that life is so good.
Hopefully I'll get pictures up from Grandma and Grandpa Lewis's visit very soon!
Work kept me very busy these last two weeks and even though it means I'm working in the evenings after Emma goes to bed, it also means we have money to pay the bills and I'm not worrying as much. I'm very thankful I've got a good job and one I like.
After introducing and her finally "getting" the sippy cup, we're getting more milk into her! She gets a sippy cup with breastmilk with every solid meal now. At daycare today she drank 3 1/2 oz from a bottle, then an hour later drank 3 oz from a sippy cup, and then a couple of hours later, drank another 3 oz from a bottle. She got 12 1/2 oz of milk at daycare today! She's been averaging 10+ this past week, which is phenomenal and I'm very happy about.
She's also getting better at the chewing thing, and eating her solids with more vigor. Tonight we went out to eat, and she had bites of our chicken dumplings and pieces of avocado that were on my sushi roll. She LOVED the dumpling. Almost ate an entire one with our help. Then she nursed while we were still in the restaurant, PLUS she nursed when we got home.
Can we say "growth spurt?" LOL.
This also means more peaceful nights. We're giving her tylenol because with the amount of drool, I was suspecting a tooth and I was right. So she falls asleep quickly now again (tonight without even having my hand on her or me shushing her, I was just standing by the crib) and last night she drank at 11pm, 1:30am, and then not again until 5am! Oh, I'm so very happy. And she was so cute -- she farted a big adult-sized fart at 5am and woke herself up. So we all got up and while I got ready for work, she and Daddy played quietly in the front room. And then around 6am I took her up and nursed her, and we all cuddled together in bed. She fell asleep around 6:20am. I got up at 7 to leave for work, and Daddy texted me later to tell me they both slept until 8:20am. With that 2-hour nap, she got about 12 1/2 hours of sleep last night.
Naps at daycare are still not great, but it's all good.... we'll figure that out too. I'm feeling peaceful and fulfilled, and thanking God that life is so good.
Hopefully I'll get pictures up from Grandma and Grandpa Lewis's visit very soon!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
8 Month Updates
At 8 months, Emma...
*Is crawling with ease, standing with ease and can squat without toppling over.
*Has now eaten chicken, beef and fish, in addition to numerous fruits and vegetables.
*Maybe has said Momma and Dada, linking to us (we're not 100% sure)
*Visited with Grandma and Grandpa Lewis!
I don't know how much she weighs, but I can tell you that she hasn't gained much weight over the last 2 months. I'm chalking it up to her moving more, but it appears she's going through a growth spurt right now. For the last two nights, she's wanted to eat every hour again. AND she's eating like a big girl during the day -- 11 oz of breastmilk today at daycare, a big chunk of banana and a big chunk of avocado, not to mention the banana, mango and cereal she had at breakfast and the hamburger and sweet potato she had at supper. She's drinking breastmilk with her solid meals, and she apparently LOVES the breastmilk cold, she's gulping it down like there's no tomorrow.
The reason I also think she's growing and maybe putting a tooth through too is that she's now fighting bedtime also. It's taken over 35 minutes for her to even settle down, when for over a month she'd been falling asleep within 5-10 minutes in the crib. I'm half tempted to give her some tylenol, since I wonder if she's hurting, but I don't want to give it unless I'm sure that's what is going on.
In any case, there are dishes to be done, diapers to be folded, and lunches to be made for tomorrow. Work has been super-duper-amazingly busy lately and I just can't keep up with the paperwork.
*Is crawling with ease, standing with ease and can squat without toppling over.
*Has now eaten chicken, beef and fish, in addition to numerous fruits and vegetables.
*Maybe has said Momma and Dada, linking to us (we're not 100% sure)
*Visited with Grandma and Grandpa Lewis!
I don't know how much she weighs, but I can tell you that she hasn't gained much weight over the last 2 months. I'm chalking it up to her moving more, but it appears she's going through a growth spurt right now. For the last two nights, she's wanted to eat every hour again. AND she's eating like a big girl during the day -- 11 oz of breastmilk today at daycare, a big chunk of banana and a big chunk of avocado, not to mention the banana, mango and cereal she had at breakfast and the hamburger and sweet potato she had at supper. She's drinking breastmilk with her solid meals, and she apparently LOVES the breastmilk cold, she's gulping it down like there's no tomorrow.
The reason I also think she's growing and maybe putting a tooth through too is that she's now fighting bedtime also. It's taken over 35 minutes for her to even settle down, when for over a month she'd been falling asleep within 5-10 minutes in the crib. I'm half tempted to give her some tylenol, since I wonder if she's hurting, but I don't want to give it unless I'm sure that's what is going on.
In any case, there are dishes to be done, diapers to be folded, and lunches to be made for tomorrow. Work has been super-duper-amazingly busy lately and I just can't keep up with the paperwork.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Yay!
Last night Emma slept from 7pm to 7am, and only roused to nurse twice during that time. The first time was at 9:30pm (and I knew she was going to need it because she was too riled up from the visit with Grandma and Grandpa Lewis to eat well at 6:30) and the second one was somewhere in the middle of the night. She had some restless times, but when I left her alone and let her crawl around in the bed, she settled herself back to sleep. I just kept myself on one side of the bed, watched her and made sure she didn't crawl under the sheet. It was really quite entertaining.
But that's not the only awesome thing. This morning we had our FIRST FORMED STOOL!! :) I know, I shouldn't be so excited about it but it was so easy to clean up -- I just plopped it into the toilet and flushed.
I wonder if there's a link between her digesting/processing food better and now sleeping better? She has been eating a few more solids this week too.
Happy 8 months old, my gorgeous Emma!
But that's not the only awesome thing. This morning we had our FIRST FORMED STOOL!! :) I know, I shouldn't be so excited about it but it was so easy to clean up -- I just plopped it into the toilet and flushed.
I wonder if there's a link between her digesting/processing food better and now sleeping better? She has been eating a few more solids this week too.
Happy 8 months old, my gorgeous Emma!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Of Course
Last night she slept better. Maybe just typing out the post helped?
She went to bed after a 20-minute fight, and roused about 30 minutes later. Daddy soothed her by patting and shushing, and I didn't even go up -- and it actually worked. She went back to sleep and slept until 11pm (so from 7:20 - 11 was one stretch). She came to bed and I nursed her, and she slept solidly until 1:45 when she nursed, needed a diaper change, and then nursed again and around 2:30 she settled back down (she was asleep but restless) and didn't wake up until 6am when she poo-ed. We're up for the day now.
So I slept from 10:30 to 11, then from 11:30 to 1:30 (3 hours), and then from about 2:45 - 6 (3 hours 15 minutes). I feel better today than I have in a while. Let's cross our fingers I get at least one more night like this.
She went to bed after a 20-minute fight, and roused about 30 minutes later. Daddy soothed her by patting and shushing, and I didn't even go up -- and it actually worked. She went back to sleep and slept until 11pm (so from 7:20 - 11 was one stretch). She came to bed and I nursed her, and she slept solidly until 1:45 when she nursed, needed a diaper change, and then nursed again and around 2:30 she settled back down (she was asleep but restless) and didn't wake up until 6am when she poo-ed. We're up for the day now.
So I slept from 10:30 to 11, then from 11:30 to 1:30 (3 hours), and then from about 2:45 - 6 (3 hours 15 minutes). I feel better today than I have in a while. Let's cross our fingers I get at least one more night like this.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sleep Part Two
Some background about Emma's sleeping:
1) I do ALL of the sleep work, with the sole exception of her naps at daycare and a very occasional nap that Daddy helps her with. This was NOT my choice, but a choice of necessity since Joe was taking classes in the evenings and now is teaching at night, and since we want consistency in her routine, I have to be the only one that does it.
2) I am co-sleeping with Emma. Joe sleeps in another room. Again, this was out of necessity -- he was ill for a time and his coughing was waking her up. And after that, it was because he is much worse than I am when he goes without sleep, and I'd rather be sleep deprived than him because I can't deal with a grumpy husband and grumpy baby. He has been sleeping in another room since she was 3 months old.
3) Until lately, she has not had to have a new diaper at night. We use barrier cream and a liner so that the wetness does not wake her up. The only role Daddy has at night is to change her diaper if she is wet/poops or if she leaks. The last week we've had HUGE leaks and I don't know what's going on with my diapers. I've stripped them twice and that seems not to help. But that's for another post.
4) She reverse-cycles. If kellymom.com is correct and she should be getting about 30 oz of breastmilk a day, she MAYBE eats 10 oz at daycare. At MOST. One day she ate 12 oz and I was in heaven. Most of the time she'll eat 8-9 oz. That means she gets the rest overnight.
5) She DOES sleep through the night. Yes, yes she does. Unless she cries herself awake. She falls asleep between 7-7:30, and when she cries or gets restless, we comfort her BEFORE she wakes up. At night, when she rouses and cries, I try to soothe her by patting her or shushing her, and when that does not work and she gets more riled up, I give her the breast. Typically she'll sleep until 5:30 or 6am. Meaning, she gets 10-11 hours of sleep at night but I have to wake up multiple times to make sure she stays asleep.
6) Issues with naps at daycare continue. If she gets 2 1/2-3 hours of napping, she falls asleep much quicker. Today she had two 30-minute naps, and it took us 30 minutes before she fell asleep. There was about a month-long period where she took a 2-hour nap consistently over the noon hour, and then a 1/2 hour nap in the late afternoon. That has changed and I have no idea why.
7) Nursing time. Since she was about 3 months old, she hasn't nursed longer than 5-6 minutes at a time. She nurses through my let-down, and then will nurse a few more minutes and she's done. At work when I pump, I can get 5+ ounces of breastmilk in less than 10 minutes from the two sides, so I'm assuming she's getting about 4 oz each time she nurses in just one breast. She rarely switches, and she gets very angry when I try to "force" her to drink more. She'll bite me, and I'm not having that.
With that background, here's the gist of the schedule.
5:30 Home, nursing if she hasn't had a bottle at daycare late (sometimes they give her a very late bottle, like at 4:30).
5:30 - 6pm Supper with Mommy & Daddy. She'll usually eat a piece of vegetable (1 oz?), a piece of fruit (1 oz) and then she'll nurse.
6 - 6:30 Quiet play time with Mommy & Daddy. We usually have a 20-minute song that plays on one of her toys that we'll get going around 6:10pm to let her know that it's nearing time for bed.
6:30 - 6:40 Bath time and/or washing time
6:40 - 6:45 Naked time upstairs in her room while Mommy prepps her bedtime diaper and bed
6:45 Bedtime diaper on
6:45 - 6:50/6:55 Nursing
6:55 Bedtime story
7:00 Mommy sings a bedtime song and we rock for 5 minutes. I say to her "we're going to rock for 5 minutes and then it's bedtime."
7:05 I kiss her, tell her I love her, and then I put her in her crib with her favorite blanket and her lovey (a toy bunny).
**If she's had good naps, she'll fall asleep within 5 minutes. I used to need to pat her to comfort her, but now I can just stand there and shush her a little, and she'll fall asleep. On a bad day, I have to pat her, shush her, and occasionally put her back down in the crib after she climbs up to standing.
8:30/9pm Emma cries. If she's left unattended, she starts to scream harder, and cries. She gets hysterical. We go up, she's usually standing in her crib and/or sitting up. Her eyes may be open or still shut, but she's typically still asleep even if her eyes are open. I lay her back down, shush and pat her. Occasionally she'll settle back down within 5 minutes, sometimes she gets more and more hysterical, and I have to pull her out and nurse her. If she wakes up, it takes 30 minutes to get her back to sleep.
If she doesn't wake up at that time, I take her to bed with me between 10-10:30pm. If she's still in the crib, then around 10:30/11pm she cries again. At this point, I just take her to bed and typically she nurses again. She's still drinking well at this point.
11:30/midnight. She gets restless. She starts to kick. I wake up, move her away from me (she's usually cuddled up with me, even if we start the night apart) and wait it out. She screams. She cries. She kicks and writhes around. I shush her and try to pat her. The screaming gets worse. I nurse her, and she goes back to sleep.
2am. More restless kicking. I try to pat her and shush her. Sometimes I ignore her and see if she'll go back to sleep. Lately she's been rolling around, rolling onto her stomach and then rolling back, sometimes she'll try to crawl around. She's asleep this entire time. Then she'll sit up and start to cry, start to scream. I put her back down. She wails and kicks in her sleep until I nurse her again.
4:30am Up and kicking, crying again until nursing.
5am Crying, restless. Typically wants to nurse again.
5:30/6am Usually has her big poo at this point, typically has some gas ahead of time where she'll kick and writhe around. She does not want to nurse at this time. I give up and just have Joe get her a new diaper and I go shower for the day.
7:30 am Last nursing before she goes to daycare.
Ok Mommies... have at it. Deconstruct it for me, tell me what's going on and/or help me figure out what to do. I'm about THIS close to just letting her cry it out, but that would just break my heart. I stand in the hallway in the evenings, just sobbing at times because she won't go to sleep and there's nothing I feel I can do.
1) I do ALL of the sleep work, with the sole exception of her naps at daycare and a very occasional nap that Daddy helps her with. This was NOT my choice, but a choice of necessity since Joe was taking classes in the evenings and now is teaching at night, and since we want consistency in her routine, I have to be the only one that does it.
2) I am co-sleeping with Emma. Joe sleeps in another room. Again, this was out of necessity -- he was ill for a time and his coughing was waking her up. And after that, it was because he is much worse than I am when he goes without sleep, and I'd rather be sleep deprived than him because I can't deal with a grumpy husband and grumpy baby. He has been sleeping in another room since she was 3 months old.
3) Until lately, she has not had to have a new diaper at night. We use barrier cream and a liner so that the wetness does not wake her up. The only role Daddy has at night is to change her diaper if she is wet/poops or if she leaks. The last week we've had HUGE leaks and I don't know what's going on with my diapers. I've stripped them twice and that seems not to help. But that's for another post.
4) She reverse-cycles. If kellymom.com is correct and she should be getting about 30 oz of breastmilk a day, she MAYBE eats 10 oz at daycare. At MOST. One day she ate 12 oz and I was in heaven. Most of the time she'll eat 8-9 oz. That means she gets the rest overnight.
5) She DOES sleep through the night. Yes, yes she does. Unless she cries herself awake. She falls asleep between 7-7:30, and when she cries or gets restless, we comfort her BEFORE she wakes up. At night, when she rouses and cries, I try to soothe her by patting her or shushing her, and when that does not work and she gets more riled up, I give her the breast. Typically she'll sleep until 5:30 or 6am. Meaning, she gets 10-11 hours of sleep at night but I have to wake up multiple times to make sure she stays asleep.
6) Issues with naps at daycare continue. If she gets 2 1/2-3 hours of napping, she falls asleep much quicker. Today she had two 30-minute naps, and it took us 30 minutes before she fell asleep. There was about a month-long period where she took a 2-hour nap consistently over the noon hour, and then a 1/2 hour nap in the late afternoon. That has changed and I have no idea why.
7) Nursing time. Since she was about 3 months old, she hasn't nursed longer than 5-6 minutes at a time. She nurses through my let-down, and then will nurse a few more minutes and she's done. At work when I pump, I can get 5+ ounces of breastmilk in less than 10 minutes from the two sides, so I'm assuming she's getting about 4 oz each time she nurses in just one breast. She rarely switches, and she gets very angry when I try to "force" her to drink more. She'll bite me, and I'm not having that.
With that background, here's the gist of the schedule.
5:30 Home, nursing if she hasn't had a bottle at daycare late (sometimes they give her a very late bottle, like at 4:30).
5:30 - 6pm Supper with Mommy & Daddy. She'll usually eat a piece of vegetable (1 oz?), a piece of fruit (1 oz) and then she'll nurse.
6 - 6:30 Quiet play time with Mommy & Daddy. We usually have a 20-minute song that plays on one of her toys that we'll get going around 6:10pm to let her know that it's nearing time for bed.
6:30 - 6:40 Bath time and/or washing time
6:40 - 6:45 Naked time upstairs in her room while Mommy prepps her bedtime diaper and bed
6:45 Bedtime diaper on
6:45 - 6:50/6:55 Nursing
6:55 Bedtime story
7:00 Mommy sings a bedtime song and we rock for 5 minutes. I say to her "we're going to rock for 5 minutes and then it's bedtime."
7:05 I kiss her, tell her I love her, and then I put her in her crib with her favorite blanket and her lovey (a toy bunny).
**If she's had good naps, she'll fall asleep within 5 minutes. I used to need to pat her to comfort her, but now I can just stand there and shush her a little, and she'll fall asleep. On a bad day, I have to pat her, shush her, and occasionally put her back down in the crib after she climbs up to standing.
8:30/9pm Emma cries. If she's left unattended, she starts to scream harder, and cries. She gets hysterical. We go up, she's usually standing in her crib and/or sitting up. Her eyes may be open or still shut, but she's typically still asleep even if her eyes are open. I lay her back down, shush and pat her. Occasionally she'll settle back down within 5 minutes, sometimes she gets more and more hysterical, and I have to pull her out and nurse her. If she wakes up, it takes 30 minutes to get her back to sleep.
If she doesn't wake up at that time, I take her to bed with me between 10-10:30pm. If she's still in the crib, then around 10:30/11pm she cries again. At this point, I just take her to bed and typically she nurses again. She's still drinking well at this point.
11:30/midnight. She gets restless. She starts to kick. I wake up, move her away from me (she's usually cuddled up with me, even if we start the night apart) and wait it out. She screams. She cries. She kicks and writhes around. I shush her and try to pat her. The screaming gets worse. I nurse her, and she goes back to sleep.
2am. More restless kicking. I try to pat her and shush her. Sometimes I ignore her and see if she'll go back to sleep. Lately she's been rolling around, rolling onto her stomach and then rolling back, sometimes she'll try to crawl around. She's asleep this entire time. Then she'll sit up and start to cry, start to scream. I put her back down. She wails and kicks in her sleep until I nurse her again.
4:30am Up and kicking, crying again until nursing.
5am Crying, restless. Typically wants to nurse again.
5:30/6am Usually has her big poo at this point, typically has some gas ahead of time where she'll kick and writhe around. She does not want to nurse at this time. I give up and just have Joe get her a new diaper and I go shower for the day.
7:30 am Last nursing before she goes to daycare.
Ok Mommies... have at it. Deconstruct it for me, tell me what's going on and/or help me figure out what to do. I'm about THIS close to just letting her cry it out, but that would just break my heart. I stand in the hallway in the evenings, just sobbing at times because she won't go to sleep and there's nothing I feel I can do.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
That Sleep Thing
Really, just when I think we've "got" it, it appears we don't "have" it at all.
First off, let me just say that for a brief moment, I'm so very jealous of those people who proudly post on FaceBook "my baby is 3 months old and she/he slept from 10pm until 7am this morning!." But only for a brief moment, because ALL of those babies are formula fed. I'm still breastfeeding my baby at almost 8 months, and intend on doing so as long as she'll let me, so I'll sacrifice the fact that she'll digest her food more easily and it's better on her tummy and her system for that "ALL" night sleep. But I'm briefly jealous anyway.
It has been over a year since I got more than 3 hours of sleep in a row. Granted, when I was pregnant I could get up, go to the bathroom, and immediately go back to sleep. That was heaven and I didn't realize it. Since Emma was born, I think I've gotten those 3 hours of sleep in a row just twice... and one night I might have gotten 3 1/2 hours of sleep. But ultimately, she's still up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to eat. Is she *really* hungry, you ask? Oh boy YES.... as soon as she latches on, she gulps and gulps and gulps frantically for about 3-4 minutes, and then she's done. Nursing, that is.... she comfort sucks for a few more minutes until I de-latch her and then she's back in a deeper sleep.
I really understand at this point why sleep deprivation is a torture device, however. This was the sacrifice I made when I wanted to breastfeed, and I didn't want to even give her breastmilk from a bottle if I was around. But boy.... I would give ANYTHING right now to get 4-5 hours of sleep in a row. Eight hours? I can't even fathom what that would feel like.
More on sleep tomorrow..... her patterns, and maybe my experienced Mommies out there can help me figure this out (and yes, I've read the "No Cry Sleep Solution").
First off, let me just say that for a brief moment, I'm so very jealous of those people who proudly post on FaceBook "my baby is 3 months old and she/he slept from 10pm until 7am this morning!." But only for a brief moment, because ALL of those babies are formula fed. I'm still breastfeeding my baby at almost 8 months, and intend on doing so as long as she'll let me, so I'll sacrifice the fact that she'll digest her food more easily and it's better on her tummy and her system for that "ALL" night sleep. But I'm briefly jealous anyway.
It has been over a year since I got more than 3 hours of sleep in a row. Granted, when I was pregnant I could get up, go to the bathroom, and immediately go back to sleep. That was heaven and I didn't realize it. Since Emma was born, I think I've gotten those 3 hours of sleep in a row just twice... and one night I might have gotten 3 1/2 hours of sleep. But ultimately, she's still up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to eat. Is she *really* hungry, you ask? Oh boy YES.... as soon as she latches on, she gulps and gulps and gulps frantically for about 3-4 minutes, and then she's done. Nursing, that is.... she comfort sucks for a few more minutes until I de-latch her and then she's back in a deeper sleep.
I really understand at this point why sleep deprivation is a torture device, however. This was the sacrifice I made when I wanted to breastfeed, and I didn't want to even give her breastmilk from a bottle if I was around. But boy.... I would give ANYTHING right now to get 4-5 hours of sleep in a row. Eight hours? I can't even fathom what that would feel like.
More on sleep tomorrow..... her patterns, and maybe my experienced Mommies out there can help me figure this out (and yes, I've read the "No Cry Sleep Solution").
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Zoo Part Two
Just a few pictures from today's zoo trip. We started the day at the aquarium, where Emma just *loves* watching the fish in the big tank. She is fascinated by the sharks and the rays, and just stared and stared and stared. We then went to the manatee tank, and watched them munch on some of their breakfast lettuce.
Our next stop was the kangaroos, which was fun because they were very active. Morning is so much better for the zoo animals, I think. Right next to the kangaroo area was the Lorikeet area. You can go in and feed the lorikeets nectar out of a cup, and they'll land right on you. They were very friendly, but they can nip at you if you try to pet them. Emma wasn't sure what to think of the birds, but she learned very quickly you shouldn't try to grab their tails!
After the birds, we stopped by the model of the stinkiest flower in the world! Emma had a great time getting into the flower for a picture.
We dropped by the orangutan and then before we left, dropped back by the aquarium because the touch pool was open. Emma isn't big enough to touch, but she enjoyed looking.
The Columbus Zoo is ranked #2 in the nation, and deservedly so. It is a phenomenal place, and is literally a 15-minute drive from our house. We're more than got our money's worth out of our zoo membership at this point, between parking and admission, and we plan on going at least a couple of times a month.
Zoo Membership
About 6 weeks ago we decided to go ahead and pay for a year-long family membership at the Columbus Zoo (did I blog about this? I can't remember). In any case, in those 6 weeks, Emma has been at the zoo four times, which makes it totally worth it.
This morning we went right as the zoo was open at 9am, and there were very few people there. The weather wasn't too horribly hot yet (very humid) and we had several of the exhibits all to ourselves. It was wonderful. By the time we left at 11am, it was getting hot and crowded.
My next post will be about what we did at the zoo, after Daddy downloads some very fun pictures, but for the moment, here is the video we took at the kangaroo exhibit. Emma loved the kangaroos!
This morning we went right as the zoo was open at 9am, and there were very few people there. The weather wasn't too horribly hot yet (very humid) and we had several of the exhibits all to ourselves. It was wonderful. By the time we left at 11am, it was getting hot and crowded.
My next post will be about what we did at the zoo, after Daddy downloads some very fun pictures, but for the moment, here is the video we took at the kangaroo exhibit. Emma loved the kangaroos!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
On The Move
Daddy "eating" Emma... she loves when we pretend chew on her ribs.
Emma wants to stand, stand, stand. We can't keep her from pulling up on everything.
Emma standing up and trying to eat the camera.
Emma and Mommy playing the piano (badly, but at least she's getting exposed to music).
Emma wants to stand, stand, stand. We can't keep her from pulling up on everything.
Emma standing up and trying to eat the camera.
Emma and Mommy playing the piano (badly, but at least she's getting exposed to music).
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Things I'm Proud Of....
*Breastfeeding for 7 1/2 months and no intention to stop anytime soon.
*Cloth diapering despite others' bets that I would quit after a month.
*Holding off on starting solids until 6 months, and then using a baby-friendly technique to help her enjoy the tastes and textures of different foods.
*Taking Emma to the zoo, the conservatory, the park, the state fair, etc., etc., etc. within the first 6 months of her life.
*Losing 55 pounds from my highest pregnancy weight!
There's more, but those are really the top 5 things. And I'm not "shove-it-in-your-face-I'm-better-than-you" proud, but just very much "I-can't-believe-I-did-it-yay!" proud.
And speaking of the State Fair, here are a few pictures from that day.
We started by watching the sheep show, and Emma enjoyed watching the animals and the kids participating.
There was a BIG fan above the arena (and if you click on the picture, it will show up bigger to show you exactly HOW big it was, LOL).
Then I think I mentioned that she got to see the lamb triplets that were all of 5-6 hours old, which she found fascinating.
So cute!
*Cloth diapering despite others' bets that I would quit after a month.
*Holding off on starting solids until 6 months, and then using a baby-friendly technique to help her enjoy the tastes and textures of different foods.
*Taking Emma to the zoo, the conservatory, the park, the state fair, etc., etc., etc. within the first 6 months of her life.
*Losing 55 pounds from my highest pregnancy weight!
There's more, but those are really the top 5 things. And I'm not "shove-it-in-your-face-I'm-better-than-you" proud, but just very much "I-can't-believe-I-did-it-yay!" proud.
And speaking of the State Fair, here are a few pictures from that day.
We started by watching the sheep show, and Emma enjoyed watching the animals and the kids participating.
There was a BIG fan above the arena (and if you click on the picture, it will show up bigger to show you exactly HOW big it was, LOL).
Then I think I mentioned that she got to see the lamb triplets that were all of 5-6 hours old, which she found fascinating.
So cute!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Yummy!
Emma is really enjoying food, and we're loving the baby-led weaning process. So far we've sampled:
Oatmeal
Steel-cut oats
Green beans (steamed)
Avocado
Sweet Potato
Mango
Kiwi
Plum
Peach
Nectarine
Pluot (cross between plum and apricot)
Banana
I think the plum is still her favorite! We're going to try butternut squash and zucchini this week, and I've got pear on the agenda for tonight.
Oatmeal
Steel-cut oats
Green beans (steamed)
Avocado
Sweet Potato
Mango
Kiwi
Plum
Peach
Nectarine
Pluot (cross between plum and apricot)
Banana
I think the plum is still her favorite! We're going to try butternut squash and zucchini this week, and I've got pear on the agenda for tonight.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Yes, You Can Be "A Little"
Pregnant, that is.
Yes, I was. And No, I'm not now. At our OB appointment last month, the doctor gave us the green light to start trying for #2. We took the "don't prevent, but don't make a huge effort" approach. On Joe's birthday, on a whim and on the last POAS test in the house, I decided to test. It was 11 dpo. And it came up positive.
He and I both were in shock. We spent 24 hours reveling in the wonder of an "easy" time getting pregnant. We thought of baby names and speculated about how Emma might feel. We learned we'd be due in mid-April, and had all kinds of ideas about what milestones we'd enjoy at different times of years.
Unfortunately, the next day's test was fainter. And the day after that, the test was negative. My hCG levels were at 36 the first day (fairly normal for 11dpo) but 18 yesterday. I'm having a "chemical" pregnancy. AF should show up soon.
I'm devastated, of course. I thought the universe was doing me a great favor, and maybe making up for the horrible time we had trying to get Emma. I guess it's just another slap in the face. And no matter what they call it, I'm calling it my fourth miscarriage. I've been pregnant 5 times, and I have one living baby.
I'm taking tomorrow as a mental health day. In the morning, by myself I'm taking time to reflect, to cry and to just let myself grieve. In the afternoon, I'm getting Emma and as a family, we're going to go out and spend time together. I want to appreciate the living child I have, even as I grieve what "might" have been.
Yes, I was. And No, I'm not now. At our OB appointment last month, the doctor gave us the green light to start trying for #2. We took the "don't prevent, but don't make a huge effort" approach. On Joe's birthday, on a whim and on the last POAS test in the house, I decided to test. It was 11 dpo. And it came up positive.
He and I both were in shock. We spent 24 hours reveling in the wonder of an "easy" time getting pregnant. We thought of baby names and speculated about how Emma might feel. We learned we'd be due in mid-April, and had all kinds of ideas about what milestones we'd enjoy at different times of years.
Unfortunately, the next day's test was fainter. And the day after that, the test was negative. My hCG levels were at 36 the first day (fairly normal for 11dpo) but 18 yesterday. I'm having a "chemical" pregnancy. AF should show up soon.
I'm devastated, of course. I thought the universe was doing me a great favor, and maybe making up for the horrible time we had trying to get Emma. I guess it's just another slap in the face. And no matter what they call it, I'm calling it my fourth miscarriage. I've been pregnant 5 times, and I have one living baby.
I'm taking tomorrow as a mental health day. In the morning, by myself I'm taking time to reflect, to cry and to just let myself grieve. In the afternoon, I'm getting Emma and as a family, we're going to go out and spend time together. I want to appreciate the living child I have, even as I grieve what "might" have been.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Yoga, State Fair, and Campus, Oh My!
We had a busy weekend with Emma! On Saturday, we went to Mommy & Baby yoga (only 2 more sessions left, *sniffle*) and had a great time. She's really engaging with the other mommies and babies, and she was crawling all around the room. She wants to play and doesn't really want to sit still and watch Mommy do yoga poses. :)
Then we went off to the State Fair. Daddy is going to download those pictures so I can post them on here in a little while. We started out at the Youth Center and actually got to see some live judging of projects going on, plus a talent show. Just adorable. Then we looked at the pigs, the sheep, and watched some of the beef show before we got rained on. We had to rush through the last few exhibits and got soaked in the process, but it was a fabulous time. My favorite part was seeing the lamb triplets who were all of 6-7 hours old! They were part of an educational exhibit where employees from the extension agency were answering questions from kids (and parents) about the animals. They even had a chance to milk a cow!
This morning we went back to OSU campus to take some final family pictures, which turned out wonderful. It was a gorgeous morning, and we essentially had the entire campus to ourselves. Daddy took over 300 pictures! :) Gotta love digital cameras.
Here are a few from this morning, with another picture post to come!
There will be lots more to come in the next few days! I think Daddy took almost 1000 pictures in the last few weeks. :)
Then we went off to the State Fair. Daddy is going to download those pictures so I can post them on here in a little while. We started out at the Youth Center and actually got to see some live judging of projects going on, plus a talent show. Just adorable. Then we looked at the pigs, the sheep, and watched some of the beef show before we got rained on. We had to rush through the last few exhibits and got soaked in the process, but it was a fabulous time. My favorite part was seeing the lamb triplets who were all of 6-7 hours old! They were part of an educational exhibit where employees from the extension agency were answering questions from kids (and parents) about the animals. They even had a chance to milk a cow!
This morning we went back to OSU campus to take some final family pictures, which turned out wonderful. It was a gorgeous morning, and we essentially had the entire campus to ourselves. Daddy took over 300 pictures! :) Gotta love digital cameras.
Here are a few from this morning, with another picture post to come!
There will be lots more to come in the next few days! I think Daddy took almost 1000 pictures in the last few weeks. :)
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