7 months

Olivia: Bed Time, Best Time

In so many ways I really do believe that we were blessed with one of the BEST babies in the world. Olivia is generally happy, doesn’t cry or fuss much, nurses like a champ, is easily entertained, etc. HOWEVER – she still struggles with that whole sleep-through-the-night thing… Let me preface this quick rant awesome praise, by saying that I would NEVER trade her sweet temperament for 12-hour nights and that I LOVE LOVE LOVE our precious girl, even in the sleepless nights. That being said, bedtime is our favorite part of the day – maybe it’s the hope that tonight will be the night… the night that Olivia finally sleeps through the night.  I’m sure that day will come… hopefully sooner than later… until then, I’ll share the good.

Our evening routine usually starts after dinner, around 7. Olivia and I usually snuggle up in our big bed and read 3-5 books. These are our favorites:

Baby Einstein Rain-forest Discoveries – Here

Baby Touch and Feel Animals –  Here

Where’s Spot? – Here

Olivia – Here

Mommies Are for Counting Stars – Here

Book time usually lasts around 30 minutes, then Daniel takes over for bath time. I usually take advantage of the next 20 minutes or so and finish up the dishes from dinner, fold laundry, etc. Daniel LOVES giving Olivia a bath (with bubbles) – it’s kind of become their special alone time. After her bath, I spend about 15 minutes giving Olivia a little massage with our favorite baby lotion (Thanks Poppa G for introducing me to the good stuff!), brush/rub her gums, condition/brush her fuzzy head, get jammies on, etc.

Weleda Calendula Baby Lotion – Here

The Honest Company Shampoo + Body Wash – Here

California Baby Calming Bubble Bath – Here

Then we sit in the rocker and I say our prayers and sing a few songs while Olivia nurses… usually another 15-20 minutes. (She eats a TON at her last feeding of the day).

So total that up – Our bedtime routine takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Although that sounds like quite the process – I think Dan + I agree… it’s a pretty great part of the day…

UNTIL…

11:30 PM rolls around – Dan + I have been asleep about an hour (If we’re lucky!)… and Olivia lets out a few mild complaints… Rarely resulting in rolling over and going back to sleep. Usually I go in – let her nurse for a few minutes… rock her for a few more, thinking “surely this will be enough to top-her-off and she’ll definitely make it though the night”

THEN…

3:30 AM… and she wants to eat again… Except this time… we rock for a few minutes, I put her down…and her eyes POP open… “Mom! I’m not asleep yet!” so we rock a few more minutes… and I try again. Occasionally she drifts back to sleep. More often than not… after the 2nd or 3rd attempt, I’m too delirious and/or keep rocking myself to sleep, so I just throw up the white flag and let Olivia join us in bed. Immediately – she crashes. What is it about our bed? (Actually I know EXACTLY what it is about the super fancy memory foam mattress is AWESOME and pre-baby gave me some of the best nights sleep I’d ever had…)

BEEP BEEP BEEP…

5:00 AM Daniel’s alarm goes off… always enough to wake me up… luckily, Olivia sleeps through it. Daniel tip-toes around, showers + makes the coffee… Olivia squirms (still mostly asleep) and wiggles kicks for another 2 hours… I TRY to stay out of her way… and eventually get up, get a cup of coffee… read, check email, etc. only slightly irritated that she’s still sleeping… and I’m NOT.

I know we’ll get there eventually… Until then, I plan on joining my napping baby at least once a day.

Happy Siesta,

XO

Momma Meg

Featured Image Here

Family P: Am I doing this right?

I must admit – I feel like I’m finally starting to get a hang of this whole MOM thing. Olivia has her first cough/cold this past week – going on 6 days of the snottiest and crankiest little Liv… No fever. Just snot. and LOTS of it. Standing in the hall bathroom (it’s much smaller than ours) with a steamy shower running and a tearful baby wrapped tightly to my chest – it hit me  – You’ve Arrived, Welcome to motherhood! Just as I started to feel completely hopeless, unable to do anything to soothe my miserable baby girl- she laid her head down on my chest, whimpered then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Most rewarding are the moments when you just feel like, “I’m doing it right!” 

In the past 7 months I have become increasingly thankful for such an amazing support group of friends and family. They (Y’all – because lets just face it… y’all are likely the only ones following this blog) are my constant assurance that I am actually “doing it right;” that I am a good mother.  I want each of you to know how appreciated your words, advice, time, prayers, etc. are. Your support means so much to Daniel + I. We truly believe that it takes a village to raise a baby – Family and Friends alike – We feel incredibly blessed to have you and consider YOU part of our village. 

We are among the first in our circle(s) of friends to have a baby(ies). As much as we’ve made an effort to not let “having a baby” change who we are and what we love to do; there are some lifestyle changes that are inevitable. For the most part, our young married and single friends have been wonderfully accepting, understanding and accommodating as we navigate through this change. I’m reminded of this every time Olivia spits up on a girlfriend’s silk blouse and she pretends like it’s REALLY no big deal… or it’s overlooked when show up 15 min late but still have to leave promptly to catch bedtime… or when we bring a big embarrassing animal-print high chair cover in to a trendy upscale restaurant. I’m constantly juggling feelings of eagerness to have some of y’all join the club with understanding when dinner + drinks invitations taper and  still contentment with exactly the life we’d imagined (It’s unreal how insanely happy we are). Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to our amazing friends, who have not abandoned us because we had a baby, and became SIGNIFICANTLY more dorky than we were before.

Would also love to mention how grateful I am to have some good new-Momma friends, nearby and far away alike. I love knowing that y’all are out there for 2 am text messages or emails about diaper rash, spit-up and sweet potato puree. Ready and willing to answer the questions I’m too embarrassed to call my pediatrician about. It’s amazing how something a baby in common can bond you to someone instantly… Hope y’all feel the same.

Much Love,

Momma Meg

PS. I guess I get kind of sappy when Daniel is out of town. 

Olivia: 7 months

Stats:

16.8 lbs

26.5 inches

Size: “9 Months”

Nicknames: Sneekle Freetzie, Little Bug, Liv, Liver Dude

 

Loves:

Freezie Treats (Frozen Teething toys of any variety)

Sophie

Raffy the Giraffe

Playing on the floor

Playing in the laundry basket

Listening to dad play piano/ guitar

Flipping upside down

Playing with the baby in the mirror

Mom’s new glasses

Listening to tunes in the car

Play dates with Charley

Riding in the Moby Wrap with Mom, Snugli with Dad

Bath time with Dad (especially fond of the red octopus squirty toy, orange starfish + eating bubbles)

Favorite Books: “Where’s Spot?“,  “Rainforest Discoveries” AKA Ooey Gooey Rainforest and “Animals”

Favorite Bedtime Songs: “Are You a Dreamer?” Denison Witmer , “Bitte Ein Kuss” Jonah Matranga

Cucumber

 

Cranks:

Being in the car seat for extended periods of time

Sleeping in her own bed at night

Eating Baby Food

Having her nose suctioned – boogies wiped

Milestones

CRAWLING!!! As of 9-14-12 🙂 At exactly 7 months!

(Video + Coaching compliments of Auntie B)

Licking Lips

Motorboat noise

First time at MOPS

Exclusively cloth diapering 

Successfully napped in the pack + play @ Michelle + Charley’s house!

Consistently taking 2 good (1-2hrs) crib naps a day

TRIED solid foods for the first time (Rice/Oat Cereal, Sweet Potatoes, Avocado, and Carrots)

Sitting up alone (but can’t be trusted to not “tump” (tip + dump) over)

Maneuvering from seated to crawling position and vice versa

Making Dinosaur Noises in her crib when she wakes up (on the rare occasion that she ACTUALLY wakes up there)

Learned how to kick mobile in crib until it comes on

First Cold (YUCK!)

It’s getting increasingly difficult to snap an in focus of this lil mover…

Daily Routine

5:00AM-7:00AM Cuddle (Read: Kick) mom in bed until she wakes up

7:00-7:30AM Nurse then play in bed while mom checks email, pays bills, blogs, internets…

7:30-8:30AM play on the floor while mom attempts to work out

8:30-9:30AM Hang in the Exersaucer or Moby while Mom gets something to eat for breakfast, makes a plan for the day

10:00AM Nurse then morning nap

11:30AM Wakes up from morning nap

12:00PM Attempt to eat lunch

1:00PM Nurse

(Run Errands with Mom, Play dates + fun stuff, chores + cleaning, etc.)

4:00PM Nurse

5:00PM Play on the floor in the kitchen with “The Durch” while Mom cooks dinner

(6:00PM Sometimes Nurse)

6:00PM Hangout with a Freezie treat (sometimes a Veggie Pop) in highchair while Mom and Dad eat dinner.

7:00PM Read Books with Mom

7:15PM Bath time with Dad

7:30PM Lotion + Baby Massage, PJs, Vit D, brush gums, etc.

7:45PM Nurse, cuddle with bunny blanket, songs + prayers

8:00PM Asleep

3:00 – 4:00AM Usually wakes up to eat, then ends up in bed with Mom + Dad  after multiple failed attempts to go back to sleep in her crib.

On any given day… our living room looks like this:

Mom Life: Baby Led Weaning

I first came across the concept of Baby Led Weaning when I was about 17 weeks pregnant… initially REALLY loved the idea of integrating normal healthy adult foods (modified in texture/spice content) around 6 months instead of using purees. I pulled the following blurb on Baby Led Weaning from Wiki:

Baby Led Weaning

“Baby-led weaning (often also referred to as BLW) is a method of adding complementary foods to a baby’s diet of breast milk. Baby-led weaning allows babies to control their solid food consumption by “self-feeding” from the very beginning of their experiences with food. The term weaning should not be taken to imply giving up breast milk, but simply the introduction of foods other than breastmilk.

Infants are offered a range of foods to provide a balanced diet from around 6 months. They often begin by picking up and licking the food, before progressing to eating. Babies typically begin self feeding around 6 months, although some will reach for food as early as 5 months and some will wait until 7 or 8. The intention of this process is that it is tailored to suit each particular baby and their personal development. The 6 month guideline provided by the World Health Organization is based on research indicating the internal digestive system matures over the period 4–6 months. It seems reasonable to posit that the gut matures in tandem with the baby’s external faculties to self feed.” 

We first attempted oat + rice cereal about 2.5 weeks ago, progressed to pureed veggies when Olivia seemed uninterested in the taste/texture, still uninterested… even irritated when we try and get a spoonful anywhere near her mouth, we decided to call our pediatrician for advice. She suggested giving solids a rest and making another attempt after a a few days/week. I think I’ve mentioned that my initial instinct told me that Olivia wasn’t ready even 2 weeks ago but I caved to the pressure to adhere to the 4-6 month standard and we gave it ago. After hearing that our pediatrician had no real concerns about waiting until 9 months or even a year I’m feeling more comfortable and confident in our delayed start. 

Considering our recent failed attempts to feed Olivia solid foods – we’ve decided to take a few weeks off from purees + cereals in favor of a modified BLW method. Allowing her to gnaw on small pieces of food in her high chair while we’re eating breakfast/lunch/dinner. Still adhering to the 3-5 day rule and avoiding all highly allergenic foods.

My only concern with BLW was the likelyhood of Olivia having difficulty swallowing or even choking while feeding herself. Although I’ll still watch her like a hawk while she’s eating  exploring, everything I’ve read says that BLW’d babies actually choke LESS than babies who are fed purees with a spoon. I really love the idea of letting Olivia control how much she eats – at what pace, etc. 

Resources

Momtastic’s Wholesome Baby Food

Rapley Weaning

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