Sunday, January 30, 2011

Thoughts About the Past

When I was in High School and while I was in college, I lived in New York. My parents lived about 1 hour north of the city (Putnam Valley). I went to school at RPI (Troy).

Looking back it was awesome living that close to the city. Loved taking the Metro North down into the city and spending the day. Loved going with my family, friends, and eventually Nick down to the TKTS booth to grab some cheaper broadway tickets for the matinee or evening showing. Having a great meal at a restaurant. Wandering around, shopping, and just having fun. It really was amazing.

My first trip to NY was for my 16th birthday with my mom and grandmother (Mor). We shopped, we at at Tavern on the Green, we had a horse ride around central park. We just had fun. Yep I think I fell in love with the city then. Have many pictures of that trip and they always put me in a happy mood!

And my favorite part of the city (ok it is probably tied with broadway) is the museums! Some of my favorite are there. MoMA and The Met are by far my favorite art museums. (note here I love the science and history museum in Chicago as my favorite of that type). Nick and I went down there a lot and loved these two museums. I do miss visiting them. Living so close to the city, I never got to visit all the museums I wanted to, but no matter how long we lived down there I know I would always have this feeling of not seeing enough.

So many good memories. And I absolutely loved it. I really am in love with New York. I do not have a I <3 NY shirt.... but my sister does. Of all cities in the US, I have to say that NY is my favorite. Living in NH now, I have not been to Boston, but I do not believe it could compare to NY.

I have not been to the city in 5 years, but I am sure I know my way around it. I need to plan a family trip to NY at some point.

Growing up in NY, I always did want to live in NYC for a year or so. That never panned out, and I never had the opportunity, nor tried to find the opportunity after college. By the time I was done with college my sights were on having a future with Nick. And I am happy with my decision. But in the back of my head I still think it would have been fun, stressful, expensive, memorable, and such an experience to live in the city. Maybe one day, but I doubt it. I so love my life now and would not change a thing! Everything worked out perfectly!

This whole post came from me listening to broadway tunes this morning, and of course they are from shows I have seen on broadway. Hmm what is the list of shows I have seen, I know I have all the playbills from them (Fosse, a drama with my mom, Beauty and the Beast, and Wicked off the top of my head but I know there are many more). I never got to see Lion King. Wanted to see Monty Python. Hopefully I can get Evie into musicals! I am going to start playing musical soundtracks in the morning. My mom did this when I was a kid getting ready in the morning and it was fun and a great way to wake up. I am going to continue this tradition with Evie. I need to get more soundtracks!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Big Girl Car Seat


Yes Evie is in her big girl car seat! And as of right now, using it for 3 days, I do not miss the bucket infant seat at all. I do not miss lugging around that awkward and heavy piece of plastic. And she was not even at the weight limit. I believe she is about 4 inches shy of the length limit too.

What made us install it earlier than we were planning is that we can no longer keep the infant car seat at day care since she is in the new room (fire hazard). So we were lugging her in the car seat into day care. Carrying it back to the car, so much lighter. Almost forgetting it many times on the way back in to pick her up, walking back to the car, carrying it back in to pick her up. Lugging it back to the car. Was just a lot of extra un-needed steps.

I do think she likes her new car seat. She is sitting up higher. No longer has the handle in her way. She does look around and out the window a lot now. And it looks so much more comfy, and girly!

I don't worry about keeping her warm in it as much as I thought I would. We were using a jj cole cover for the bucket seat to keep her warm, and it did a good job. But since the car is kept in the garage, it does not get very cold. We bundle her up in a warm sweater or her fleece jacket and a hat. Once in the car she gets a blanket. And it isn't bad in there and heat is on. When we pick her up from day care the car has been on and is pretty much warm.

The test will be this weekend when I am stopping to grab a few things for our up coming trip to CA (I don't think I'll want to come back since they are having 60 degree weather!!). Will let you know if I miss the bucket, but I think my Ergo will preform perfectly!

We were debating about getting a gender neutral car seat. But in the long run this one is just too cute. It works with the car interior (light brown). She will be in this for a long time. And when and if we have a second, she will most likely still be in this so it is hers! Ready to stain and make it her own.

I feel like a little bit of a failure

Yesterday Evie had 2 blow outs at day care. She is in size 2 seventh generation diapers. I like these since they have little chemicals to sit next to her bare bum (they are even un bleached!). But really 2 blow outs??? We never get these at home in cloth. I think we may try to move up to size 3....

But also she gets a red bum at day care in disposables. It does not seem to bother her and is gone after being in cloth for a few hours. Just baffles me.

I am debating about trying out a different brand of disposables. Any suggestions to try? I really would like to stay away form many chemicals

I just wish day care would use cloth. But they won't due to sanitary reasons. I just don't get it. They would just have to put them in a hanging wet bag. We would keep some disposables there in case. Her bum would be so much happier. She would rarely blow out. They are cute. Easy to use.

Ugh....

Monday, January 24, 2011

Evie's Sleep

So for 3 nights now we have been doing cry it out. Our limit is 15 minutes. It is very hard, but it does get easier to do.

Friday Night - The first night I wrote about half the night. The rest of the night she slept ok. Did cry a few times but lasted 5 minutes. Not bad. She ate twice at night.

Saturday Night - The first cry was the 45 minute intruder. Lasted about 14 minutes. She was not a happy baby. I actually turned down the monitor...didn't do much since I could hear her in her room. She didn't wake up as often saturday night. Still ate twice.

Sunday Night - HUGE improvement. No 45 minute intruder (have been having it for the past week or so). Woke up at 9:30/10 to eat...well was crying so I fed her since it was her normal evening feeding time. Woke up at 2:30 to eat, another normal feeding time (5 hours!!). Woke up for the day at 6:30. Not bad. And her morning wake up wasn't crying...it was babbling!

The sleep sack, even though it was hell the first night has helped things. She does like having her arms out.

The cry it out idea is HARD. It tears your heart. But in the long run it is good since she does teach herself how to go back to sleep.

Also last night I did move her seahorse to her viewing area so she can stare at it going to sleep. She started getting a little cranky when I put her down at night, but turning this on helps so much. We did keep it at the foot of the bed, me terrified of SIDS didn't want it near her face. But now arms out and she can move herself, thought might try and it is helping.

What else. I think tonight I am going to get rid of one of the feedings. Let her cry through it. She doesn't need it. She is almost 15 pounds. And with 6 feedings in 24 hours, and 2 of them being at night once she is asleep is a bit much.  She does not need it. I would rather her eat a little more during the day than at night. And a few times now she has soaked through her cloth diaper - microfiber and help insert. This has never happened before so yeah Evie you are drinking too much at night!

But yes things are improving! Sleeping will get great and then we fly to CA and it will go to hell again. But I accept that and I do foresee us doing this again when we get back.

Oh one more sleep thing. On Saturday she napped at moms group on her stomach. She was doing tummy time, then laid her head down watching kids play. She drifted off to sleep. She had a fantastic nap, and the kids screaming, playing, shaking things about 2 feet from her did not wake her up. I think she may be a stomach sleeper like her mommy. But I am not going to put her to bed on her stomach, she can roll herself if she wants to, I have seen her roll...she just chooses not to.

Blah

So I have realized all my posts are about Evie (and one to come after this). And I have a photo blog that is pretty much her. So yes my life is all about my child. I do know that.

I want to restart that 30 day blog challenge to get things a little off topic of baby. I stopped because i have to scan a picture in of my first love (my childhood dog, yes not a person but I love that girl so much!). But I will try to do this soon!

Also I am going to take a picture of my living room for you guys. We updated some pieces and re-arranged. Did not take a before picture (D'OH) but it looks FANTASTIC now! The room is so much more open and Evie has a play area - well will soon! There I go again talking about the baby.

I also haven't been writing much about the dogs. They are loving the deck (as am I) in the morning since I let them out there to do their business on top of the snow (I do clean it off regularly). This makes me realize how much I want a fence! Also we have not been to Agility in a while - snow sucks.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Evie's first solids! (oatmeal cereal)

Today evie had her first meals of real food, not breastmilk!

We started with oatmeal cereal. And she loved it!

Her first meal was around 10:00 this morning. She was happy, just woke up from a nap, I nursed her about an hour before. Put her in her high chair, in her bib that my sister made her..she loved looking and playing with the bib!


Made the cereal liquidy, mixed with breastmilk. I did use ones that was premade in a box (Organic, whole wheat). I am looking how to make it myself. But that is another day.

She did not spit any out! Most of the mess was from it falling off the spoon before it got to her mouth. And when she had too much food in her mouth and it squirted out!


But she absolutely loved eating real food! If I didn't get the spoon close enough to her, she would lunge her head forward and put the spoon in her mouth. mmmmm.


Very cute. In between bites she kept playing with her bib chewing on it, and licking off the oatmeal that was on it.


But yes she did great with it and so enjoyed every bite. She ate the whole bowl and not much made it onto the bib..most in her mouth and tummy!

And at 5pm tonight - Evie Dinner Time! Wearing another Katie Shea Original!


I didn't mix in as much breast milk this time so it was thicker. And she did fine with it! Made more this time just to see how much she wanted. I think she ate about as much as she did for breakfast.



Once she was done, I just had to try it. With the breast milk, it was sweet. Very vanilly.

I would say this was a very successful introduction to solids! Well non liquid diet. She loved it and ate it all! She was most definitely ready for real food! I think tomorrow we are going to introduce either sweet potato or avacado

Friday, January 21, 2011

This is HARD

We have been having issues with Evie sleeping well. A few times this week I tried nursing her more than normal and yes she ate. But then in the am she soaked through her night time diaper and jammies, swaddle, and onto the sheets. Yep that is a lot of pee.

Tonight, she is in her sleep sack. The past few nights she has started in a sleep sack and moved to a swaddle since we didn't know what to do. But tonight staying in the sleep sack since she breaks out of it anyways and she is ready for this step.

And we are doing a cry it out. Oh My God this is hard. I don't want her to get used to us coming in every time she wakes up at night. I want her to put her self back to sleep. But it is hard to sit here and watch her on the monitor cry, knowing that I can go up there and she will be happy the second I pick her up. But yes we are doing this.

We are keeping track of the last time she ate and 3-4-5 hours from the last time I will try to feed her. So 2-3 times during the sleeping evening I hope.

She went to bed at 7pm last night. She woke up at 8:30 and did eat. She usually eats more at that time since she doesn't eat too much before bed. Fine. She started crying after I put her down. Cried more as I shhh'd her and rubbed her stomach. She stopped when I left the room. She woke up again at 9:15. Took 12 minutes of her crying to go back to sleep. Not all of it was crying. Quiet for a minute then some small crys. But 12 minutes she was asleep. Then 9:41 she was crying again. Lasted 8 minutes.

Our limit is 10-15 minutes depending. The first time she was in and out of sleep after 10 minutes that I let her go. And the second time she didn't make it 10 minutes before falling asleep. Yea.

But wow this is hard. So extremely hard. I just want to comfort her and hug her. But hopefully this will help her get sleep and learn how to sooth herself and put herself back to sleep.

Do not know how the rest of the night will go......

Snow..

Ok I am a bit sick of snow. I wanted snow BEFORE christmas. Not after. We have had so many snowy days these past few days that ugh. So happy this year that we have a 4 wheel drive Subaru!

We are very fortunate that day care has not closed this week. Schools closed and had 2 hour delays (yes they had less than 2 days of school this week). But day care was open! At least we got to work to get actual work done!

But really mother nature, I am done with snow. And I really don't want to deal with the cold you are bringing this weekend. If I had to choose, I would choose a warmish blizzard over coooooold temperatures!

Every year about this time I want to move somewhere warmer...who is with me?

Hey!

Evie has been enjoying being in the huggables group at day care. She gets to watch the big kids. She has more one on one time with the teachers (they are down on the floor more often playing). She adjusted to the new room so easily! My social butterfly.....

I am excited because they are all for  homemade foods there! So when she gets to that point we will be good to go! The really do enjoy her there.

We are trying oatmeal cereal tomorrow! I am very excited to get her on some real food. I know she is ready for it and wants to eat my food so badly. Starting with oatmeal cereal, then avocado I think, sweet potato, green beans, apple, banana, etc. I am excited to make my own food!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Evie is growing up.... **tear**

Dropping Evie off at day care this morning I was informed that she is moving up to the next group... **tear** Really I started to tear up on my way to the car. She is growing up so fast!

I think they are moving her for space issues. And she is outgrowing the toys in the room she currently is in. With her starting to sit, and they keep telling me she will be mobile early, that I know this is a good move for her. She will love being with older kids. And more grown up toys.

But But But she is growing up! How can this be? I know she is getting older, but I didn't expect her to be out of there so early.

Really **tear**. One more sign she is getting to be a big girl... They do grow up... Cherishing every second with her this small. Especially this morning while Nick was cleaning off the driveway and snow banks. I just loved sitting and cuddling with her.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Happy 5 Months Evie!

Wow, Evelyn! I cannot believe you are already 5 months old! Where oh Where has the time gone?

This past month has been hard on us all. Your sleeping habits have changed. Part due to the fact that you are more aware of your surroundings and have learned noise = mommy or daddy to the rescue! You started your 4th month of life sleeping oh so very well, 7-9 hours at a time. Then right before Christmas you regressed back to waking every 1-3 hours, eating 3 times a night. I think part of this was due to the winter changes and your room being dry, and the light outside. We got you a new humidifier (your old one had electric issues) and got a blackout shade for you. That helped, along with slathering you in moisturizer. But you still weren't sleeping well. I think it is part of the lingering cold you have. You are on some medicine (your first prescription), and we will see if it will help. They say you may be in a pattern now to wake up in the middle of the night to eat and I need to gradually break you from it..... so hard to do!

Enough of the regression talk - now lets talk about progression!

This month you had your very first Christmas! You did have fun visiting family, playing with toys, and especially looking at Christmas lights! You loved when I would walk you around the Christmas tree, looking at the sparkly ornaments and shiny lights. You got some great presents for Christmas. You love love love your door jumper! And are starting to love your exersausser/jumperoo thing! Some of your toys you will enjoy more once you are more independant.

Speaking of independence...someone is starting to sit on her very own! Yes you are! At moms group over the weekend you were sitting for a good 30 seconds! You showed it to Daddy on Sunday and he was quite impressed! You are good with the tripod sit sometimes, but you much prefer the full sitting up. You are such a big girl. I know you are dying to learn how to crawl...please give it a few more months.....

Your favorite activities are staring at the dog, playing with your mushroom toy that is like your sophie the giraffe, spinning and starting to jump in your door jumper, and handing out in your jumperoo and spinning the wheel. You also love some of your rattles. Everything is going in your mouth lately....it all tastes soo good! You have also started to pat the dogs. OK that is so adorable! Penny or Luna will be near me while I am petting them, then your arm shoots out and starts to rub their face. Love it! Penny I know loves the attention you give her.

Your giggles have gotten stronger! I have on video some great belly laughs of yours while tickling you! You are such a happy baby. A very social butterfly. At day care..well at home too... You do a lovely fake cry sound with a smile on your face. When someone comes over to check on you, you start laughing. I just can see you saying "Got you!". You are going to be such a playful girl one day.

Hmm...what else. Your nursing is still going strong. I know we will make it to 6 months! You have upped your bottle intake at day care to 6 ounces, sometimes you eat less. You love your mommy's milk!

I love you little miss Evelyn. You really make my life amazing. I look forward every day to wake you up and see the morning Evie Happies! I love cuddling with you. I love our time together when we nurse. You just make everything better!


xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Love Mommy

(next up 6 months..how can that be...)

And now pictures from her 5 month birthday!

This morning hanging out in her door jumper


Home from day care...thumb sucker!


And our photo shoot when we got home

With her dolly from Yia Yia


 Cute Baby Feet


She was a bit grumpy and exhausted but I got an almost smile!

Sophie is Tasty

Jammy Time!


Plan of Starting Evie on Solids

The plan has always been around 5.5 months that Evie will start solids. This is still the plan. About 2 weeks to go!!!

She is showing signs that she is ready. This weekend she grabbed my fork with cinnamon roll on it and opened her mouth.

While giving her her amoxicillian she didn't use much tongue thrust. And she opened her mouth for more.

She is starting to sit up fine! She has awesome head control. She loves to watch me eat.

Just waiting for her gut to develop more. And waiting for our diaper sprayer....

I am excited! I think I'll have fun making baby food. The plan is to start with oatmeal cereal. Then quickly move to fruits and veggies, either mixing in cereal or stand alone. Also I want to try finger foods in about a month.

I think the dogs are going to have a new best friend at the dinner table!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Evie's First Prescription

Little Missy has not been sleeping well since a few days before Christmas. She has developed a cough that sometimes wakes her up. It just keeps sounding worse and worse. And sometimes she coughs stuff up, since she starts chewing it.

So last night after I kept hearing her cough in her sleep, that I was taking her into the doctor. It was getting worse, not better. And she has had it for 1.5 - 2 weeks.

They were surprised to hear that she is waking up 3 times a night to eat. Especially when she used to go 8-9 hours. Her lungs sounded good - no fluid. She has a little bit of fluid in one ear, but not infected.

So she is on Amoxiciallian for 10 days, twice a day. It is pink, like pepto bismol, so hopefully tasty.

They were surprised that a 5 month old isn't afraid of strangers. My little social butterfly is totally cool with new people...

So hopefully she will get better, and will sleep again!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Finally back at Agility

This week I was finally able to take the dogs to Agility class! With work and sickness and the holidays it has been TWO MONTHS since we last went! Far Far Far too long.

It was great to get out of the house. Great to spend 1 hour with each dog. They loved the mental challenge, exercise, cuddles, and lots of treats!

Luna did great. She remembered a lot. She was able to do a combination of jumps and obsticles. She loves the A frame again! Loves jumping and loves the tunnel. Oh and she remembered her weaves! 6 in a row with X-pens. I was able to run the weaves with her with me on the side of the x-pens, never have done that before! We did one rep of the dog walk, beginner level.

She still is terrified of the teeter totter. I was able to sit on it, pick her up and put her on it. I just sat there with her, gave her treats and a lot of attention and praise. I need to do something like this at home. Maybe I can get Nick to make me a tippy plank...

Luna really has come far in agility.

Penny did great! She was sooo excited to get into the ring. She almost went through the X gate things to get in the ring. Was too happy. We jumped a combination of 16 and 20 inches. I swear she concentrates more at 20 inches. But she was great. It was my handling that needed help. Hey I needed a refresher too! Wow Penny loves Agility. She is getting so much better at rear crosses (me too...they are sooo complicated!). And her weaves are getting faster and faster! My handling needs work.

Going to try to go to agility next week. If not the week after that. I am going to start going again at least every other week.

what does suck for agility is that I get home after Evie is in bed. But I do pick her up at day care and get to spend some time with her before I leave so it isn't that bad.

Sleeping Update

Have given up and are swaddling again. She does sleep much better.

I think part of our sleeping issues is that she doesn't tank up at night like she used to. She will nurse some, get distracted and want to play and look at things. Nurse a little bit more, starting to get tired and frustrated. Then bed. She will wake up and eat 2-3 times at night.

At first I thought it was because we switched to level 2 nipples at day care for her bottles. Maybe the milk isn't coming out as easy. But she is fine nursing in the mornings and middle of the night. This makes me think it is end of the day distraction and wanting to go to sleep....

But the swaddling has helped. As has the humidifier and the cellular blinds. Last night we started with swaddling. And she woke up around 9:30/10 to eat. Slept till 1:30, at again. Slept till 4:30, ate again. And I had to wake her up at 8 to get ready for day care! She did not want to wake up. It was so funny, the expression on her face... "mom just a few more minutes". Or 2 more minutes like Katie always said.

Putting her to bed has always been easy. She doesn't care if she is swaddled or not. Her arms out do wake her up and that is the issue. So the plan is:
Naps she is in her sleep sack in her crib. Blinds closed, door closed
Sleeping we are going to slowly move down her swaddle so that she can learn a little more movement.
Or we may just make the swaddle a little looser. Not sure on this one yet.

Around 2 weeks from now, on a Friday night we will retry the sleep sack. If it fails, go back to swaddle.

She loves her swaddle. And I know don't change if it isn't broken. But I want to be able to have her sleep unswaddled. I want her to be able to move and find the position that she wants to sleep in. I want her to self soothe. I want her to be able to move in her sleep to practice what she has learned.

All with time. We will get there eventually. She is just like her momma. Wants to be cozy and tucked in tight! Now if I could only give her a dog to sleep with..I bet that would fix it all! Haha! I love sleeping with a dog in bed, and I know one day she will want a dog in there with her too!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Moving Baths to the tub

Tonight I thought I would try something different. Move her bath tub to the bathroom tub and not use the kitchen sink.... Well just because the kitchen is a disaster and yeah.

Not as easy as using the sink. Bending over the tub is not as easy. The sink the water I am able to control the pressure unlike the tub spout so I feel like I don't waste as much when getting the rinse water.

But I think she enjoyed it more. Mommy more over her and able to see and laugh at me. She does love her baths. Loves splashing around. And loves the warm water!

Probably will just take practice. But yeah not as easy. But I think I am going to keep it in the bathroom for easy factor for storage and always clean to give a bath.



Bye Bye Christmas Tree

We took our Christmas Tree down early this year. Usually we start taking down the first weekend in January, gradually take down ornaments, then do the lights right before the last tree pick up day.

Those years though, we do cut down a fresh tree at a farm. This year we did a pre-cut tree.

It was dry...dry dry dry on Christmas. New Years Eve I brought up the ornament containers and took down most of them. New Years morning one of my Christopher Radko ornaments fell and broke a foot of Santa. Yes I was upset. Took the rest down before any more casualties happened. Some of the remainder had fallen but other branches caught it. I think this is what happened to the one that broke a foot since if it fell from as high as it was it would have shattered.

New Years day I took down all the lights. Wow it left a HUGE pine needle tree skirt. Yes I am rough when taking the lights down, since I do interweave them well when putting them on. But wow, this left more needles than the rest. Ahh whatever.

Nick got it outside yesterday. There is our tree...sitting on the curb. Waiting for Friday collection.

This tree just did not hold up well. The branches were not as strong as all our other trees.The branches dried out. They started to droop. It stopped drinking water about 1.5 weeks in. Next year we are back to cutting down our own tree, that Evie gets to pick out!

But I am still leaving some of the christmas decorations out. Especially the garland on the stair railing and christmas cards! Not ready for it to be gone....but may start next weekend.

And an awesome thing - Evie now has her very own box of ornaments! All hers.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Happy 2011!

Wow! 2011! Feels like I just got used to writing 10 on all my dates.

2010 was such a fantastic year. It was by far one of the best years of my life. How could it not be? I had my wonderful daughter during 2010! My parents and sister visited me twice! And it ended wonderfully. With a perfect Christmas, and a relaxing New Years Eve.

For New years Eve we didn't do much. Made Stromboli. We shared a bottle of champagne over many hours. Watched a funny movie once Evie went to bed. Was great end to 2010.

I was in bed on New Years Eve at 11:30. Trying to keep Penny quiet to not wake up Evie (barking at fireworks).

New Years morning. Evie and I made coffee. Nick got me a cinnabon for that morning. Evie and I went to Target (and she was in the Ergo the whole time and loved it) and picked up a few things (well a lot) off the Christmas Clearance section.

We made yummy steak tips for dinner, along with rice and the spinach dish my family makes. Was yummy! A good celebration to 2011 and the things to come.

Also, for New Hampshire, we were blessed with wonderful warm weather. In the high 40s! We enjoyed it by going on a walk with Evie and the dogs. Luna was having so much fun prancing through the big piles of snow along the walk, and plowing into Penny. Evie enjoyed the fresh air, in the big girl portion of her stroller! Wasn't a long walk, since sidewalks arn't easy to walk on with snow... but it was enjoyable!

Evie in her big girl stroller!