5 Months

It's hard to believe that one year ago I was announcing my pregnancy.  Now, I have a beautiful baby girl who is growing up entirely way too fast.

Jason said to Elise "when are you going to crawl?"  I said "Don't rush her!!!  She's already almost half a year old!"

Just Smile!

Momma Took Me To The Park

Mom, this doesn't look familiar to me.

But, I'm pretty darn cute with my bow and shades!

This is a good opportunity for me catch up my trashy reading.

Nothing's better than an afternoon nap in the fresh, spring air. 

She's Laughing!

I got a little video of Elise laughing.  You'll have to ignore me in it, though.  I have to do all kinds of stupid stuff to get her to do it.

Alternative Method to Naptime

After rocking, swinging, and laying down with Elise, she was not taking a nap.  So, I tried putting her on the dryer and turning it on.

Things I Said I'd Never Do

When I was pregnant I said:  "My baby will NOT sleep in the bed with us."  Lie.  "She will sleep in her Pack N Play for the first couple of months and then move to her crib."  Lie.  "She'll learn to self-soothe.  I'm not going to pick her up EVERY time she cries."  Another lie.  Starting to see a trend here?

We entered the 4 Month Sleep Regression (aka a little glimpse of hell) several weeks ago, and it has been nothing but an uphill battle.  Constant night waking, fighting naps and bedtime, waking up early.  What a tease she's been... sleeping so good at night.  Only waking up to eat once and then right back down.  Then it happened one night about 1am when she was fighting her sleep... I said "just put her up here in between us."  (desperation for sleep over powers the ability to think logically)but Jason said "no" twice.  She finally went back to sleep, but then awake again at 5am.  This time no words were exchanged, just a swift maneuver and she was in between us sacked out.  All thanks to her Daddy.  Fast forward to today.  I'm pretty sure last night was the 3rd night Jason slept on the couch and Elise and I slept in the bed.  Probably the best sleep any of us have had in 3 weeks.

So, tonight we'll put her down in her Pack N Play and try again.  You know that 2nd statement above about sleeping in the PNP for a "couple of months?"  Well, she just turned five months old and has slept in her crib one night.  I don't need to elaborate on that any further.

And now on that self-soothing business.  I admit I am pretty much at Elise's beck and call... a lot nicer way of saying I'm her b*tch, because basically that's what I am.  She summons, I come running.  Well, the intent was to try to let her cry it out occasionally (I say occasionally because I don't want her to lose trust in me and my ability to comfort her), learn to work things out without having to be held ALL the time.  Last week I was just finishing up drying my hair and she was propped up on my bed having a royal tantrum for no good reason.  All red-faced, tears flowing, spitting mad...  I go over, pick her up and look at her and say "what's wrong with you?"  She chuckled.  The child laughed at me and smiled.  What the....?  I have been worked by a 5 month old.  Forget that "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" BS... my 5 month old baby just pulled a fast one over on me.  Just perfect.

Bottom line; don't ask me for any parenting advice.

First Night In The Crib

Last night I decided to put Elise to bed in her crib for the first time to see how she would sleep during the night.  I put the fleece blanket that she's used to sleeping on in her pack & play in the bottom of the crib so it would feel familiar to her.  She was asleep in my arms before I put her down.  She woke up, cooed some, and then fussed a while.  I have started to let her fuss when it's time for naps because she's so tired she fights going to sleep.  She turns her head from side to side before she finally drifts off to sleep.  I checked on her several times last night, and since she has recently become very interested in her feet, it's hard to keep the blanket on her because she sticks her feet straight up in the air to play with them.  She eventually fell back to sleep.  I think it might have been harder on me than her to make her sleep in there.  I like having her in our room where I can just peek over at her anytime in the night.  She slept until 2am when I heard her fussing.  She ALWAYS wakes up at 2am for no reason every night.  I gave her the paci and turned on the Seahorse and she was right back out.  She was awake again at 4am to eat and then I just laid her in bed next to me for the rest of the morning.  I'm not sure if I'll put her in the crib again tonight since I had planned on waiting until she was sleeping through the night, but that could be in 2 years.

My Girl's Got Some Talent!

Elise has become quite the fashion diva.  In her own subtle ways she let's her Momma in on the fact that a) she freakin hates long sleeves b) is not gonna wear those socks no matter how many times I put them on her feet and c) she dares me to take her to the mirror and show her what cute outfit she is wearing.  She has a very strategic way of getting her poop to shoot up the top of her diaper to make the outfit she is currently wearing un-wearable.  Thus, we must try another one.  And because she couldn't get all the poop to come out in one sitting, she contaminates yet another clean set of clothes - asking the question, "Do you not like to wear cute clothes or are you proving your freedom of expression by aspiring to become a nudist?"  

Last night after she had a bubble bath in the grown-up bathtub, got a detailed cleaning, followed by lotion from head to toe, clean diaper, and fresh jammies, Elle and I sat on the couch to get up to speed on the Reunion of the Real Housewives of the OC (because I want to get her into watching that trash with me ASAP).  She was sitting on my lap when all of the sudden her butt started making noises to rival those of an old man, my lap got warm, I looked down and she had pooped (up her diaper of course) through her clothes and onto mine.  Ok, scratch those jammies.  Onto the next pair.  She doesn't hold anything back!

You know everyone thinks their kid is the cutest, smartest, gifted and talented... all that stuff?  Well, mine actually is.  As if defying gravity by pooping vertically wouldn't be enough to prove her ingenuity, she rolled over from her tummy to her back twice, rolled from her back to her side, slept through the night the night before last, and started laughing all in the matter of 3 days.  You guys better watch out because she could be walking by next week.  Then I'm gonna have to send her out to the workforce so she can earn her keep around here.

Adventures In Petsitting

I used to be a lot better with animals than I was with children.  After these last few days I prefer the children.  I was asked to watch my parents' 2 dogs and cat while they went to Florida for a couple of days.  I obliged.  It can't be that hard, I'd done it before no problems.  The only difference this time was I would be toting my 4 month old along.  She requires not only full time attention, but a managery of equipment as well.  The truck was packed up with as much of her stuff as I could fit in it.  Which obviously wasn't enough to entertain her. 

Let me stop here and explain that these aren't your average run-of-the-mill dogs.  They are extremely high maintenance.  They are accustommed to daily walks, specialty meals, and will bark incessantly if they aren't getting the adequate attention they think they deserve.  Both of these dogs are on medication. At each time it is to be administered it must be wrapped in lunch meat.  Combine that with the high needs of a baby who prefers to be in her own environment and it makes for some long days.

Things started out alright because Jason came over to help me.  An extra set of hands was great!  I'm used to my dogs who sleep late.  These dogs are some early risers!  But I was already awake from the smoke alarm chirping loudly outside the bedroom so might as well get the princesses off to their day.  Four pills wrapped in lunch meat for the yellow lab and one chicken wrapped pill for the black one to compliment their hand prepared mix of dry and wet food.  Another one at lunch for the yellow followed by their evening meal and meds. 

I think it started to go downhill when Jason left and Elise fussed all night long while the dogs barked and went in and out.  I was in the study watching TV and nursing the baby when I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye... a man walking around the back of the house.  I have never jumped up so fast in my life.  It's really scary to see somone prowling around the back of the house at dusk!  Then the phone starts ringing.. can't locate it because it's in the bedroom and the man would see me if I went to go get it.  So he finally turns to leave and I see he is the one calling the house and it just so happens to be the neighbor.  What a relief, not a serial killer.

Last night I let the dogs in before bed and the yellow one made a bee-line straight to the cat's litter box to dig out a snack... that was real special.  She doesn't know what "no" means either.  This morning, awakened by more barking.  Then I heard some puking noise... oh good, let me go clean that cat puke up too, and feed the baby, and change the baby, and make sure she's entertained.  Oh, and feed the dogs and make sure they have their pills.

I had to run to the grocery store to pick up a couple things, so I left the dogs out.  I turn into our edition on the way home only to be met by the black lab..... little escape artist.  She chases me home and I open the garage door.  Trash can is knocked over and trash is all over the garage.  These dogs are having some severe separation anxiety!  So, I pick up the garage, unload the truck, get Elise out and think we'll walk down to the pond with the dogs.  The black lab goes swimming and the yellow one takes off towards the creek.  In the past she has been brave and disapeered for a while.  I did not want to be responsible for any injuries or loss of the dog so I am now yelling for her to come back.  She interprets this as "hobble faster!" (she's got a bad back).  So, I am now doing as fast of a walk as I can with the baby in the sling trying to stablize her head to catch the dog who is doing her version of a sprint to the creek.  Here comes the black dog.  After some bribing and convincing I get them both rounded up eventually and we make our way back up to the house.  Black dog stops by the pond and is rustling in the tall grass.  I'm calling her and here she comes, with a dead fish in her mouth.  One's eating litter coated cat poop and the other one's enjoying some fresh water fish.

The parents will be home tomorrow night.  Hopefully the dogs got their rotton streak out of their systems today and tomorrow will be better.  And maybe next time I babysit, they will be better, and the baby will be happier.

First Time In The Jumperoo

 It's going to take some time for her to get the hang of it.

What's Up Walsh?!

My little baby went to the doctor on Tuesday for her 4 month check up and shots.  She weighs 13 lbs. 11 oz and is 24 3/4 in. long.  We decided we are going to wait until 6 months to start any cereal or foods.  Strictly breast milk until then.  The pediatrician and I both agreed it would be best to wait if I wasn't in any hurry to get her started, which I'm not.  Dr. Walsh said she thought Elise's eyes would stay blue.  They can change from 6-12 months, but she said she rarely sees babies with eyes as blue as Elise's change.  Jason was pretty thrilled about that.  She also told us we are going to have to start giving her a little tough love at night when she wakes up for no reason.  Her exact words were "she's playing you."  She's waking up because she wants to just hang out with us.  So, we are going to start making Elise teach herself to fall back asleep on her own.  I told her about my B12 injections and asked if it would be something we needed to check Elise for.  She's going to do some research between now and her next appointment.  If it's something she's not sure about she plans to send us to a hematologist.  The nurses came in to give Elise her shots and get a urine sample.  There was some concern about her having a UTI.  They asked us to step out because they would have to give her a catheter.  It was traumatizing for me and her.  I was pacing outside the door when Dr. Walsh said we could go have a seat in her office.  So, I just walked in circles in there until they were done.  They came to get us and I almost knocked the nurse down trying to pick her up.  Elise was bright red and bawling!  So then I started crying.  They had to send her urine sample off and said they would let us know today.  The urine was clear so we are glad for that.  Her lungs sounded good too, since we had to give her those breathing treatments a while back.  She'll go back at the end of April for another well check-up and another round of shots.

4 Months

I can't believe how fast the time has gone by.  I still think back to the day that Elise was born, the day we brought her home, the days of none of her clothes fitting, the days when I was over-exhausted, days when I wasn't sure what to do with her or if she even knew I was her mom.  And four months later, I have packed up those clothes that didn't fit, can identify what her different cries mean, have become confident in my mothering abilities, and I know without a doubt that she knows I am her momma and couldn't be any happier anyone's arms but mine.  As she is not afraid to demonstrate with crying fits or burying her face into my shoulder.

Elise has taught me so many things.  I have learned to appreciate the simple things like laying on the couch holding my baby, making silly faces to get her to smile, and trying to get her to coo.  Above all she has taught me to be patient.  And patient is not a word anyone would use to describe me.  I am now happy to say that my patience level has multiplied by leaps and bounds.  I have also learned not to sweat the small stuff.  When Elise gives me a big toothless smile, nothing else matters much.

She is a beautiful baby.  Even though I am partial to her, everyone else seems to agree.  I hear everyone say there's no denying Jason is her father because she looks just like him.  But I hope that as she grows up, she will have a kind and giving heart like him.  Then people will say she is just like her Daddy because of the lady she has become.  Of course I wouldn't be devastated if she got a few of my personality traits either.  Unfortunately, though, it looks like her patience level is going to rival mine.  She can turn the tears and smiles on and off just as fast as she wants to.  But I think between me and Jason we can raise a polite, well-mannered, opinionated, intellectual young lady of integrity.  That's what I hope for her anyway.

I love watching her explore new things.  Her fingers are one of her favorite toys right now, and just last night she was inspecting her feet pretty heavily.  Each day she and I learn more about each other, what works, and what doesn't.  I can't picture how things would be if I hadn't been given the opportunity to spend this time with my baby.  It is truly a blessing because this is time I will never get back.  Although it can be frustrating that Elise doesn't care much to have other people hold her, in a way it shows her trust in me and that she will not trust or go to just anyone.  She will develop confidence in herself, and I'm positive that one day she will become the independent woman I strive to raise.

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

You Gotta Stand Before You Crawl

Elise is becoming quite the big girl these days.  She likes for us to help her pull herself up and stand.  Here are a few videos of her new moves!

Shredding To The Oldies

I did The 30 Day Shred again today for the first time since it came in the mail in a while.  Only, I put Jillian on mute and worked out to some of my favorite Ipod songs.  It still sucked.  And it is a very dangerous situation to be on the floor in vulnerable positions such as flat on your back with your arms flat on the ground.  My dogs were wrestling each other Hulk Hogan style without any regard to their master whom they were trampling.  Needless to say, all the floor exercises were more about protecting my face and hollering at the canines.  Jumping jacks are obviously a cruel game to the golden retriever who enjoys jumping up at the same time as me only to be smacked by my hand on our way down, repeatedly.  My daughter (the only one in the house that actually enjoyed this scene) sat quietly in her swing watching me with wide eyes until she peacefully drifted off to sleep.  Alright, one day down only 30 more to go.  Only I'm changing it to the 60 day shred... I just keep telling myself how much money this is going to save me when I go in for my plastic surgery.  I can save up a lot sooner for the boob job than I can for a boob job AND lipo... although it would be a lot easier to just get the fat sucked out.  I'm trying to live up to my "job title" as trophy wife.  And I'm not kidding about that either.  When I had to open my IRA at the bank the other day the lady said she was typing "Homemaker" into the job title and I told her I'd prefer if she would put "Trophy Wife."  We both laughed.  She laughed because she thought I was kidding, and I was laughing because I wasn't.