We were going to do the crib transition this weekend, but my cousin called me to let me know that they could come visit! So, the choice was to wait until after that or to start tonight! I figure if we start tonight, that will give her 4 nights to get used to things. Hopefully she'll be doing pretty well by then. She used to sleep very well in her bassinet in our room until she outgrew it, but by then it was too hot, and Tyree said that we wouldn't move her upstairs because our air conditioner wasn't working all that well.
Now, it seems like it's not too hot at night. Plus, it's definitely time. The doctor said that she should be sleeping longer than she does. Besides that, she's started regressing with her sleep, waking up at 1am! She needs to learn how to put herself back to sleep at night. I'll miss snuggling her at night, but I think it's time.
So, we're going to start a whole night-time routine. I "think" it's going to be dinner (for all of us) at the table at 7pm. Then, we'll have playtime. At 7:45pm, I'll nurse her. Then, I'll take her to her room and we'll read a book. So, around 8:15pm or so will be bedtime. Maybe I'll do some baby massage, too. Wish me luck!!!!!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Park!
On Sunday I took Ariella to a park that is just around the corner from our house. For the first time, she got to do the infant swings, she road this horse on a spring, and we went down about 5 different slides.
She had an amazing time on the swing! At first, she was looking down, trying to figure out what was going on. Then as I started swinging her, she looked up and all around. Then, she kept opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue, tasting the wind! She squealed with delight and smiled like crazy - huge success!
Then, I put her on this little horse that was on a spring. I held onto her the whole time (obviously), but she started bouncing up and down on it like she does in her jumper. Also, she actually kept her hands up on the handles. She was so cute!
After that, we went in the play equipment and went down about 5 slides. It was so much fun (and was quite a bit of exercise for me). I can't wait to take her again. Maybe Daddy can come along next time!
Festival of Nations!
After Ariella's doctor'a appointment, we met some friends at the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park in St. Louis. We had a wonderful time, and Ariella was exposed to lots of new people, sounds, and smells. There were food booths from countries all over the world. My favorite was the Iranian booth. There was this uniquely spiced chicken with lentil rice with raisins. Ariella and I danced to a Regge band, and we watched some Indian dancers. We stayed for almost 2 hours. It was a very fun day.
Monday, August 30, 2010
6 Month Doctor's Appointment
Ariella had her 6 month doctor's appointment on Saturday morning. It went really well overall. The shots were harder this time, though. She cried a LOT. The previous 2 times, she cried a little, but as soon as I got her over to nurse, she stopped and nursed herself to sleep. This time, though, it took her quite a while to latch. And, then she kept popping off to cry. I felt really bad for her. Either the shots hit some kind of nerve that made it hurt more, or maybe she's just more aware at 6 months. This doesn't make me optimistic about next time's shots. Poor little girl!
Onto the better parts of the visit, though. Here are her 6 month stats:
Height: 27 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs 5 oz (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17 inches (75th percentile)
Ariella was a little wiggle worm for her head circumference measurement. The actually had to come back into the room to take it again (because the first measurement didn't make sense with her growth curve). She is growing so big! At least she's in the same percentile for height and weight now, though. She's leaning out a bit.
The doctor seemed pleased with her solid foods progress. She said to do a new food every 3 days. That's about the pace I've been doing. She also mentioned finger foods and then table foods. I think she meant for a while down the road, though. She said the goal by her 1st birthday is to have her on all table foods (but after I asked for clarification, she said it was still fine to be nursing). We're also going to be moving her down to 3 bottles rather than 4 during the day (so, 3 bottles of about 6oz each). And, then we'll increase her amounts of solids over time.
In addition, we'll be starting her with a sippy cup with water soon. I bought 2 sippy cups yesterday (the ones with the handles), so once they go through the dishwasher, we'll do up to 4 oz per day. The nurse said we could do 2-3 oz 2-3 times per day. I've heard the rule of not more than 1oz per month old, though, so I'm going to start on the lower side. And, if she doesn't drink it all, no problem. I'll just leave the cup filled in the morning with 4oz, and whatever she gets though will be fine.
I was a little discouraged at the doctor's lack of enthusiasm over her sleep progress. At the previous visit, Ariella was still getting up 2-3 times a night. This time, she has progressed to most nights going to be between 7 to 9:30pm and sleeping until 3 to 4:30am. But, the doctor said she should be sleeping longer than that - until at least 7am. Sigh... Oh well. I think we're going to do the crib transition next weekend. (If she knew we were still co-sleeping, she would probably have NOT been happy about that. She told us at 4 weeks that Ariella should be sleeping in her crib in her room upstairs and that we might have to let her "cry a little".)
But, Ariella has regressed a little bit with her sleep in the past couple of weeks. Every couple of days, she's been waking up to eat at 1am! She did it last night, too, but I was determined NOT to feed her. So, I didn't feed her until 3am, but I certainly didn't get sleep from 1-3am. She was a squirming little gal! I'm not sure if she was asleep of awake, but she was definitely not still. And, she kept making noises, so I had to keep putting the pacifier back in. And, she kept spitting it right back out and getting unsettled. Who knows? Maybe I should have just fed her.
The doctor checked her hips and her mouth (still no signs of teething - yay!), and when she checked Ariella's belly, Ariella started laughing! So, that was fun. The doctor also evaluated her sitting, which is coming along but isn't quite there. But, the doctor said she should be progressing with that continually, so all was fine.
Overall, a very good visit. Shots were bad, sleep progress wasn't quite good enough, but everything else was great!
Onto the better parts of the visit, though. Here are her 6 month stats:
Height: 27 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs 5 oz (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17 inches (75th percentile)
Ariella was a little wiggle worm for her head circumference measurement. The actually had to come back into the room to take it again (because the first measurement didn't make sense with her growth curve). She is growing so big! At least she's in the same percentile for height and weight now, though. She's leaning out a bit.
The doctor seemed pleased with her solid foods progress. She said to do a new food every 3 days. That's about the pace I've been doing. She also mentioned finger foods and then table foods. I think she meant for a while down the road, though. She said the goal by her 1st birthday is to have her on all table foods (but after I asked for clarification, she said it was still fine to be nursing). We're also going to be moving her down to 3 bottles rather than 4 during the day (so, 3 bottles of about 6oz each). And, then we'll increase her amounts of solids over time.
In addition, we'll be starting her with a sippy cup with water soon. I bought 2 sippy cups yesterday (the ones with the handles), so once they go through the dishwasher, we'll do up to 4 oz per day. The nurse said we could do 2-3 oz 2-3 times per day. I've heard the rule of not more than 1oz per month old, though, so I'm going to start on the lower side. And, if she doesn't drink it all, no problem. I'll just leave the cup filled in the morning with 4oz, and whatever she gets though will be fine.
I was a little discouraged at the doctor's lack of enthusiasm over her sleep progress. At the previous visit, Ariella was still getting up 2-3 times a night. This time, she has progressed to most nights going to be between 7 to 9:30pm and sleeping until 3 to 4:30am. But, the doctor said she should be sleeping longer than that - until at least 7am. Sigh... Oh well. I think we're going to do the crib transition next weekend. (If she knew we were still co-sleeping, she would probably have NOT been happy about that. She told us at 4 weeks that Ariella should be sleeping in her crib in her room upstairs and that we might have to let her "cry a little".)
But, Ariella has regressed a little bit with her sleep in the past couple of weeks. Every couple of days, she's been waking up to eat at 1am! She did it last night, too, but I was determined NOT to feed her. So, I didn't feed her until 3am, but I certainly didn't get sleep from 1-3am. She was a squirming little gal! I'm not sure if she was asleep of awake, but she was definitely not still. And, she kept making noises, so I had to keep putting the pacifier back in. And, she kept spitting it right back out and getting unsettled. Who knows? Maybe I should have just fed her.
The doctor checked her hips and her mouth (still no signs of teething - yay!), and when she checked Ariella's belly, Ariella started laughing! So, that was fun. The doctor also evaluated her sitting, which is coming along but isn't quite there. But, the doctor said she should be progressing with that continually, so all was fine.
Overall, a very good visit. Shots were bad, sleep progress wasn't quite good enough, but everything else was great!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Recharged and Scary Sleeping Experience
I am quite recharged from my vacation day. The hemmies aren't totally well, but they're tolerable. I think the lounging did a lot of good. Also, it was great fun to see my friends for lunch. It made me feel more like me (if that makes sense). And, then I was able to take Ariella out in the stroller for a walk around 7:15pm. The weather was beautiful, and it was nice to be out and about with her.
Onto the scary sleeping experience. So, we're co-sleeping because she outgrew her bassinet, and the air conditioning doesn't work well enough for Tyree to agree to do the crib transition to her room upstairs quite yet. And, we tried having her sleep in the pack n play that we moved into our bedroom, but that didn't work well. Around 2 or 3am, I woke to her moving around. I reached to get the pacifier to stick back in her mouth, but instead of it being her head, it was her feet! Her head was where her feet were supposed to be and was under the covers!!! Very scary for me. I quickly pushed the covers off of her and have her the pacifier, and I woke Tyree. He seemed confused as to why I woke him up, so I said "see anything wrong here?". He took a second and then realized she was upside down. And, then I told him that her head had been under the covers. Then, I set her in the correct position, put my arms around her, and then we went back to sleep. Scary stuff. We really need to do the crib transition. I'm glad I'm such a light sleeper these days.
Onto the scary sleeping experience. So, we're co-sleeping because she outgrew her bassinet, and the air conditioning doesn't work well enough for Tyree to agree to do the crib transition to her room upstairs quite yet. And, we tried having her sleep in the pack n play that we moved into our bedroom, but that didn't work well. Around 2 or 3am, I woke to her moving around. I reached to get the pacifier to stick back in her mouth, but instead of it being her head, it was her feet! Her head was where her feet were supposed to be and was under the covers!!! Very scary for me. I quickly pushed the covers off of her and have her the pacifier, and I woke Tyree. He seemed confused as to why I woke him up, so I said "see anything wrong here?". He took a second and then realized she was upside down. And, then I told him that her head had been under the covers. Then, I set her in the correct position, put my arms around her, and then we went back to sleep. Scary stuff. We really need to do the crib transition. I'm glad I'm such a light sleeper these days.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Vacation Day and Scare
I've been enjoying my vacation day so far. I've lounged around watching movies, and I was able to meet some friends for lunch. I pumped my 3 times already for the day, bit MIL is only going to do 3 bottles rather than the usual 4, so I'll have actually pumped enough for the day (didn't do enough Monday or Tuesday, but I had plenty since I pump on the weekend in the mornings).
The scare came when my husband called. He told me that his group at work was being spun off into a small company, and that they were going to become freelancers! Not good. Right now stability is key regarding a job. Being a contractor/freelancer was not good. We were talking about getting his resume ready and such. And, he was going to try to transfer somewhere else in the current company, rather than going to this little one. We also discussed how we would need to transfer our medical coverage to be under me rather than him. About an hour later, he called me back. He mis-heard. He was in the group being transferred within the company. Whew! Huge relief. Granted, it's still a change, but his salary and benefits will all stay the same.
Having a baby has been such a big change already. We really don't want to have to deal with a career upheaval right now. We would have figured something out, i'm sure. He's so talented. But, it's nice not to have to panic.
The scare came when my husband called. He told me that his group at work was being spun off into a small company, and that they were going to become freelancers! Not good. Right now stability is key regarding a job. Being a contractor/freelancer was not good. We were talking about getting his resume ready and such. And, he was going to try to transfer somewhere else in the current company, rather than going to this little one. We also discussed how we would need to transfer our medical coverage to be under me rather than him. About an hour later, he called me back. He mis-heard. He was in the group being transferred within the company. Whew! Huge relief. Granted, it's still a change, but his salary and benefits will all stay the same.
Having a baby has been such a big change already. We really don't want to have to deal with a career upheaval right now. We would have figured something out, i'm sure. He's so talented. But, it's nice not to have to panic.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Vacation Day Tomorrow!
So, with all this crappiness, I decided to take a vacation day tomorrow! Hooray!
I'm going to lounge around most of the day and then meet up with some friends for lunch that I haven't seen since before Ariella was born. I really need this break.
I'm going to lounge around most of the day and then meet up with some friends for lunch that I haven't seen since before Ariella was born. I really need this break.
My body is broken...
In the early part of the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, I developed hemorrhoids. They were no fun at all, but the nurse told me that they should go away after the birth. Well, immediately after the birth, the were horrible. They finally healed up a couple of months after that, but they've been recurring ever since. I thought I had finally gotten rid of them, but they came back with more bleeding than ever last Sunday night.
I went to the doctor's office about them yesterday, but it sounds like this may just be a problem that I might have forever. She kept emphasizing prevention techniques that I've tried in the past but that don't really seem to work. It was quite discouraging. I did get 2 new prescriptions, and I'm supposed to take Citracel every day for 2 weeks. It's Tuesday now, and they're still not good.
A vaginal birth is supposed to be so much easier for recovery than a c-section. I really wonder in my particular case if this is true. Between the tearing/episiotomy, extra catheter because I couldn't pee soon enough after the birth, and the hemorrhoids, I didn't really feel relatively decent until 5 1/2 weeks after the birth. I wonder if the hemorrhoids would have simply healed up if I hadn't had all the pushing from the vaginal birth. I suppose it doesn't matter now, though.
This is making me really wonder whether my body could even really handle another pregnancy. My grandmother (on my mom's side) had wanted more than 1 child but for whatever reason, she was unable to have another child. And, of course I can't ever know the details of that now, since everyone who would have known is no longer living. I also wonder if my mom ever had issues with hemorrhoids. But, again, I'll never know that either.
I really want Ariella to have a sibling. With my family history (father died at 61, mother died at 59 - both of different types of cancers), I haven't been crazy optimistic about my life expectancy. And, Tyree has family history of heart issues and diabetes. It's very possible that Ariella might have the very same thing happen to her (both parents dying relatively young). If it weren't for my brother, it would essentially be just me - granted, I have 2 cousins and 1 aunt and uncle, but that's pretty much it. So, I would really like Ariella to have a sibling. Hopefully Tyree and I can both live to be 100, but that's probably not the case. If they can come up with a cure for cancer, I'll probably be good. So, maybe I will live to be really old.
I just don't know how much my body can take. It seems like while I've been in excellent health regarding weight, fitness, and eating habits, I've just had a myriad of health issues in the past 10 years - kidney infection, appendix bursting and left waiting in the hospital for a day and a half (long story, very difficult recovery), 2 ear surgeries, tonsils out. It's just been a LOT. Everything with the pregnancy was perfect until the start of the 3rd trimester. Then, I developed the hemorhoids, had a pre-term labor scare, had to be put on meds and no exercise from week 19 to 35.
I'm sure this could all be a lot worse, but I guess my hormones are all over the place, and I seem to find myself having tunnel vision (but at least I recognize that). I just don't know. I really want a 2nd child, though. I would never want Ariella to be alone...
I went to the doctor's office about them yesterday, but it sounds like this may just be a problem that I might have forever. She kept emphasizing prevention techniques that I've tried in the past but that don't really seem to work. It was quite discouraging. I did get 2 new prescriptions, and I'm supposed to take Citracel every day for 2 weeks. It's Tuesday now, and they're still not good.
A vaginal birth is supposed to be so much easier for recovery than a c-section. I really wonder in my particular case if this is true. Between the tearing/episiotomy, extra catheter because I couldn't pee soon enough after the birth, and the hemorrhoids, I didn't really feel relatively decent until 5 1/2 weeks after the birth. I wonder if the hemorrhoids would have simply healed up if I hadn't had all the pushing from the vaginal birth. I suppose it doesn't matter now, though.
This is making me really wonder whether my body could even really handle another pregnancy. My grandmother (on my mom's side) had wanted more than 1 child but for whatever reason, she was unable to have another child. And, of course I can't ever know the details of that now, since everyone who would have known is no longer living. I also wonder if my mom ever had issues with hemorrhoids. But, again, I'll never know that either.
I really want Ariella to have a sibling. With my family history (father died at 61, mother died at 59 - both of different types of cancers), I haven't been crazy optimistic about my life expectancy. And, Tyree has family history of heart issues and diabetes. It's very possible that Ariella might have the very same thing happen to her (both parents dying relatively young). If it weren't for my brother, it would essentially be just me - granted, I have 2 cousins and 1 aunt and uncle, but that's pretty much it. So, I would really like Ariella to have a sibling. Hopefully Tyree and I can both live to be 100, but that's probably not the case. If they can come up with a cure for cancer, I'll probably be good. So, maybe I will live to be really old.
I just don't know how much my body can take. It seems like while I've been in excellent health regarding weight, fitness, and eating habits, I've just had a myriad of health issues in the past 10 years - kidney infection, appendix bursting and left waiting in the hospital for a day and a half (long story, very difficult recovery), 2 ear surgeries, tonsils out. It's just been a LOT. Everything with the pregnancy was perfect until the start of the 3rd trimester. Then, I developed the hemorhoids, had a pre-term labor scare, had to be put on meds and no exercise from week 19 to 35.
I'm sure this could all be a lot worse, but I guess my hormones are all over the place, and I seem to find myself having tunnel vision (but at least I recognize that). I just don't know. I really want a 2nd child, though. I would never want Ariella to be alone...
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Avocado!
I introduced avocado last night after I got home from work. I rolled the avocado on the counter (read that makes it easy to get the skin off), then I quartered it. The skin peeled right off, as did the stem. And, then I kind of mushed the avocado off of the pit and into a mixing bowl. I added a little water and just mashed it up with a spoon. It took quite a while to mash up, and it was still a little chunky, but I figured that I could mash it up more if needed as I was feeding her.
I portioned out a little bit for her to eat, and then I put the rest into my little freezer cups that I had bought (which as it turns out, they aren't very good - very difficult to close the lids, and one of the lids had a whole in it, so I had to throw that one away. I guess that's what I get for buying the $9.99 set.) The 1 avocado made like 8 portions of 1oz each.
I set Ariella up in her high chair, and spoon fed a little bit of the avocado. It was one of the chunks. It went in and right out. (I guess she still has a bit of the tongue thrust reflex.) Oops. So, too thick. I mashed up the avocado in the little bowl better and tried again. She liked it! I fed her maybe 1/2 of the portion (so, maybe 1/2 oz), and she did quite well with it.
I ate the rest of it, so there was no waste. It was possibly my first experience eating avocado (at least it's the first I can remember). It was quite flavorful - tangy and salty (even though I didn't add any salt of anything). And, it was very rich and buttery. I don't think I could eat too much of it at once. But, I enjoyed it. So, now I can't say that I don't like avocado.
Next up: Pears! (Friday or Saturday)
I portioned out a little bit for her to eat, and then I put the rest into my little freezer cups that I had bought (which as it turns out, they aren't very good - very difficult to close the lids, and one of the lids had a whole in it, so I had to throw that one away. I guess that's what I get for buying the $9.99 set.) The 1 avocado made like 8 portions of 1oz each.
I set Ariella up in her high chair, and spoon fed a little bit of the avocado. It was one of the chunks. It went in and right out. (I guess she still has a bit of the tongue thrust reflex.) Oops. So, too thick. I mashed up the avocado in the little bowl better and tried again. She liked it! I fed her maybe 1/2 of the portion (so, maybe 1/2 oz), and she did quite well with it.
I ate the rest of it, so there was no waste. It was possibly my first experience eating avocado (at least it's the first I can remember). It was quite flavorful - tangy and salty (even though I didn't add any salt of anything). And, it was very rich and buttery. I don't think I could eat too much of it at once. But, I enjoyed it. So, now I can't say that I don't like avocado.
Next up: Pears! (Friday or Saturday)
Milk Issues Are Better
I'm feeling a lot better about the milk issues today. I think my hormones were a little out of whack (they still might be actually). I reviewed my logs, and I did cut out 1 daytime pumping session back on 8/2. So, it's been a couple of weeks with that. My daytime pumps are still really good, though. I think her changing early morning schedule is what has me a little off with my numbers. But, my numbers aren't really much lower than what they used to. It's just the combination of the slightly lower numbers with having to leave even more milk that is the problem.
I think she's getting VERY filled up during the day. Yesterday after I got home, I gave her the avocado (which went very well! I'll have to do a post about that next). And, then she nursed around 6:30pm (only one side and not for very long). Then, she fell asleep and was essentially out for the night! Normally, she nurses two good sessions after I get home from work, rather than the 1 short session. I pumped a little on both sides at 9:30pm since she hadn't woken up to eat, and I got 3oz from that (didn't want to pump too much in case she woke up and needed to eat). And, then this morning around 3:45am, I was able to pump 7.5oz total (again, didn't fully pump both sides because I knew she would need to eat soon).
Of course, this morning, she had 2 huge poopie diapers and nursed 3 times! Go figure... I guess I just have to get used to constant change with her eating. I think I will reduce the amount of her first bottle with the amount of milk that she has in the cereal. That makes sense. That way she'll still have a total of 20oz. I'll start with that and see how it goes, and then I can always reduce her last bottle a little (since she'll get a veggie/fruit after that one). But, with 10.5oz pumped today already, I'm sure I'll have pumped plenty enough today! :-)
I just don't want her getting so full during the day that she doesn't want to nurse much after I get home from work. I'd rather she get more of the milk from me than from the bottles. She can get the solids during the day.
I think she's getting VERY filled up during the day. Yesterday after I got home, I gave her the avocado (which went very well! I'll have to do a post about that next). And, then she nursed around 6:30pm (only one side and not for very long). Then, she fell asleep and was essentially out for the night! Normally, she nurses two good sessions after I get home from work, rather than the 1 short session. I pumped a little on both sides at 9:30pm since she hadn't woken up to eat, and I got 3oz from that (didn't want to pump too much in case she woke up and needed to eat). And, then this morning around 3:45am, I was able to pump 7.5oz total (again, didn't fully pump both sides because I knew she would need to eat soon).
Of course, this morning, she had 2 huge poopie diapers and nursed 3 times! Go figure... I guess I just have to get used to constant change with her eating. I think I will reduce the amount of her first bottle with the amount of milk that she has in the cereal. That makes sense. That way she'll still have a total of 20oz. I'll start with that and see how it goes, and then I can always reduce her last bottle a little (since she'll get a veggie/fruit after that one). But, with 10.5oz pumped today already, I'm sure I'll have pumped plenty enough today! :-)
I just don't want her getting so full during the day that she doesn't want to nurse much after I get home from work. I'd rather she get more of the milk from me than from the bottles. She can get the solids during the day.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Baby Food Galore!
I've been thinking that I'm going to make some of Ariella's baby food. I'm starting her with avocado tonight (since it's a baby super food), so it will be interesting to see how that goes. I'm going to peel it and stick it in the blender with some water to thin it a bit. Then, I bought these freezer tray/container things. So, I'm going to portion it out into that. I'll keep one out for use right then. I'll put a 2nd container in the refrigerator, and I'll put the rest in the freezer.
Speaking of the container things, I went to Babies R Us yesterday to stock up on some feeding supplies (plus I had coupons to use). I wound up getting the freezer container set, an extra pack of baby spoons, new 6 month sized pacifiers, a teether that brushes her teeth while she chews on it, and quite a bit of baby food. I was thinking that I had bought all organic, but as it turns out, some of it wasn't. Oh well. The avocado I bought wasn't organic. I guess I'll buy organic where I can and won't worry about it if I feed her some non-organic things.
In terms of baby food, I got this 16 pack of organic Earth's Best Pears for 20% off of an already cheap $3.99! The caveat is that they expire Oct 20th. So, Ariella will start pears as her next food on Friday or Saturday. I'm thinking that maybe I'll mix her oatmeal with the pears (once she's tried it on its own and likes it). I figure she'll only eat maybe 1/4 of a jar per serving at first, so she'll have to eat pears almost every day for me to use them up in the 2 months. (Ok, so maybe I didn't think that through very well.)
In addition to the pears, I bought Gerber foods, too - organic carrots, organic sweet potatoes, organic green beans. And, then I got mangos and something else (both non-organic - boo). With all this, Ariella has enough food to last her a loooong time. Plus, I want to do yogurt soon, so I'll have to get that (Ooh! I'll bet she might like the pears with the yogurt). All of the food was "2nd stage" food. Granted, she's just starting with solids, but she's 6 months old, so I figure that the 2nd stage food will work. It's just that the 2nd stage food has so much more quantity than the 1st stage foods, so it's less expensive. Hopefully this logic won't backfire on me. I guess if it's too thick, I can always just add some water.
So, I'm very excited! I hope the avocado turns out good. I have essentially no experience with preparing avocado, so wish me luck tonight!
Speaking of the container things, I went to Babies R Us yesterday to stock up on some feeding supplies (plus I had coupons to use). I wound up getting the freezer container set, an extra pack of baby spoons, new 6 month sized pacifiers, a teether that brushes her teeth while she chews on it, and quite a bit of baby food. I was thinking that I had bought all organic, but as it turns out, some of it wasn't. Oh well. The avocado I bought wasn't organic. I guess I'll buy organic where I can and won't worry about it if I feed her some non-organic things.
In terms of baby food, I got this 16 pack of organic Earth's Best Pears for 20% off of an already cheap $3.99! The caveat is that they expire Oct 20th. So, Ariella will start pears as her next food on Friday or Saturday. I'm thinking that maybe I'll mix her oatmeal with the pears (once she's tried it on its own and likes it). I figure she'll only eat maybe 1/4 of a jar per serving at first, so she'll have to eat pears almost every day for me to use them up in the 2 months. (Ok, so maybe I didn't think that through very well.)
In addition to the pears, I bought Gerber foods, too - organic carrots, organic sweet potatoes, organic green beans. And, then I got mangos and something else (both non-organic - boo). With all this, Ariella has enough food to last her a loooong time. Plus, I want to do yogurt soon, so I'll have to get that (Ooh! I'll bet she might like the pears with the yogurt). All of the food was "2nd stage" food. Granted, she's just starting with solids, but she's 6 months old, so I figure that the 2nd stage food will work. It's just that the 2nd stage food has so much more quantity than the 1st stage foods, so it's less expensive. Hopefully this logic won't backfire on me. I guess if it's too thick, I can always just add some water.
So, I'm very excited! I hope the avocado turns out good. I have essentially no experience with preparing avocado, so wish me luck tonight!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Schedule Keeps Changing... Discouraged...
Ariella keeps changing up her sleeping schedule, and it is starting to affect my pumping. Previously, she had been going to sleep by 8:30pm or so, stirring around 4am (signaling me to get up and pump), and then she would wake up to eat around 5 - 5:30am, then go back to sleep and wake between 7:30-8am to eat again.
But, her schedule is been weird lately. One day she slept all the way until 5:30am (no stirring at 4am, so I totally missed pumping and had to do so after she ate, which meant much less milk pumped. This morning, she woke up at 4pm, so I stuck the pacifier in her mouth and started to pump. But, she didn't go back to sleep! So, I was trying to hurry my pumping session before she got too upset, but she started crying. :-( Hubby picked her up and changed her diaper, while I ended my pumping session early. It made me feel so horrible that I couldn't just feed her, that I had to be tied to this goofy pump contraption for an extra 5-10 minutes (and should have stayed pumping longer). But, she drinks so much milk during the day 20+ oz, that I need that early morning pump to be able to have enough!
We co-sleep every night now. She was sleeping in the bassinet in our room, but she got too big for it, and she was waking herself up. I moved the pack n play in its place, but she didn't go for that. I guess it wasn't comfy enough, even after I put a big comforter in it, folder up, for extra padding. And, we can't do the transition to her crib quite yet, because it's too hot in her room upstairs. Next year we're probably going to have to replace the air conditioner. Sigh...
My first pump at work didn't go all that well, either. I'm not going to get anywhere near the 20oz that I need (oh wait, I need 21.25oz, since I need 1.25oz for her oatmeal cereal!). Granted, I have a HUGE freezer stash, and I have milk from the weekend, but I need to get back to the point where I make as much as she takes in any given day. I'm still getting over being sick, so maybe that's partially the problem. And, I don't think I ate enough yesterday. I had to work over the weekend, so that was no fun. Work is fairly stressful right now - two difficult projects. Guess I just needed to vent a bit. I'm sure it will all work out. Maybe I can take a vacation day soon - just to vegge...
But, her schedule is been weird lately. One day she slept all the way until 5:30am (no stirring at 4am, so I totally missed pumping and had to do so after she ate, which meant much less milk pumped. This morning, she woke up at 4pm, so I stuck the pacifier in her mouth and started to pump. But, she didn't go back to sleep! So, I was trying to hurry my pumping session before she got too upset, but she started crying. :-( Hubby picked her up and changed her diaper, while I ended my pumping session early. It made me feel so horrible that I couldn't just feed her, that I had to be tied to this goofy pump contraption for an extra 5-10 minutes (and should have stayed pumping longer). But, she drinks so much milk during the day 20+ oz, that I need that early morning pump to be able to have enough!
We co-sleep every night now. She was sleeping in the bassinet in our room, but she got too big for it, and she was waking herself up. I moved the pack n play in its place, but she didn't go for that. I guess it wasn't comfy enough, even after I put a big comforter in it, folder up, for extra padding. And, we can't do the transition to her crib quite yet, because it's too hot in her room upstairs. Next year we're probably going to have to replace the air conditioner. Sigh...
My first pump at work didn't go all that well, either. I'm not going to get anywhere near the 20oz that I need (oh wait, I need 21.25oz, since I need 1.25oz for her oatmeal cereal!). Granted, I have a HUGE freezer stash, and I have milk from the weekend, but I need to get back to the point where I make as much as she takes in any given day. I'm still getting over being sick, so maybe that's partially the problem. And, I don't think I ate enough yesterday. I had to work over the weekend, so that was no fun. Work is fairly stressful right now - two difficult projects. Guess I just needed to vent a bit. I'm sure it will all work out. Maybe I can take a vacation day soon - just to vegge...
Eye Doctor Appointment Saturday
In my area, we have a program called Parents as Teachers with the school system. While the lady was visiting, she mentioned that they were recommending vision screening for all babies at 6 months. There's a program called InfantSee, which she said offers free screening for babies nationwide. The website is infantsee.com. I had scheduled Ariella's appointment for this past weekend. Apparently vision problems that could be corrected early if caught early are getting missed (even with the pediatrician base eye screening), so our school district is encouraging all babies to get tested by an eye doctor.
We had a good appointment on Saturday. The eye doctor did a lot of different vision checks. We had been concerned about her right eye still turning in a little, but the doctor said that everything looked good. We talked about Ariella's clogged tear duct, and she recommended massaging it while doing the cleaning with the warm washcloth. So, I'm making a point to do that. But, she said that they normally don't do anything about it, especially at this age. Ariella's prescription was +3, which is apparently perfectly normal at her age. She recommended that we come in again at 3 years old, so no more eye doctors for us for a while. We learned quite a lot about infant eye development. The only thing I should have done is that the timing of the appointment wasn't the best. Ariella got tired towards the end of it, so she got a little fussy. I'm very glad we went, though. And, it was completely free! Very cool program.
We had a good appointment on Saturday. The eye doctor did a lot of different vision checks. We had been concerned about her right eye still turning in a little, but the doctor said that everything looked good. We talked about Ariella's clogged tear duct, and she recommended massaging it while doing the cleaning with the warm washcloth. So, I'm making a point to do that. But, she said that they normally don't do anything about it, especially at this age. Ariella's prescription was +3, which is apparently perfectly normal at her age. She recommended that we come in again at 3 years old, so no more eye doctors for us for a while. We learned quite a lot about infant eye development. The only thing I should have done is that the timing of the appointment wasn't the best. Ariella got tired towards the end of it, so she got a little fussy. I'm very glad we went, though. And, it was completely free! Very cool program.
Started Solid Foods
Ariella is turning 6 months old on Tuesday, so I started her on solid foods this past weekend. I started her with oatmeal cereal! I did 1 tablespoon of the oatmeal with 1.5oz of breast milk. It came out to a decent consistency, I think. Ariella did very well eating! She didn't make any weird faces, and she didn't really spit it out either. Some drooled out of her mouth onto the bib, but overall a lot of it made it to where she ate it. Tyree took video while I spoon fed her in her high chair. She started to lose interest after we had gone through a little over half of it, so we stopped at that point. I wanted to make the experience positive for her.
We did the oatmeal again Sunday morning, although I only made 3/4 tablespoon of the cereal with 1.25oz of the milk (in hopes of less waste). She did about the same as last time, which was great, and we got through probably about 3/4 of it. It will probably take a while until she eats more. It will be interesting to hear how she did for my mother in law today with the oatmeal. I'm sure she'll do great.
We'll be starting avocado Tuesday night with her, and then Wednesday, mother in law will do that with her after her last feeding during the day. I'm hoping that once she's having 2 solid foods after 2 of the bottles, that we can drop down to 3, 6oz bottles rather than 4, 5oz bottles. But, it could take a while before we can switch to that.
We did the oatmeal again Sunday morning, although I only made 3/4 tablespoon of the cereal with 1.25oz of the milk (in hopes of less waste). She did about the same as last time, which was great, and we got through probably about 3/4 of it. It will probably take a while until she eats more. It will be interesting to hear how she did for my mother in law today with the oatmeal. I'm sure she'll do great.
We'll be starting avocado Tuesday night with her, and then Wednesday, mother in law will do that with her after her last feeding during the day. I'm hoping that once she's having 2 solid foods after 2 of the bottles, that we can drop down to 3, 6oz bottles rather than 4, 5oz bottles. But, it could take a while before we can switch to that.
Milestones! Rolling!
Ariella has been rolling over from her back to her tummy now for about 3 weeks (forgot to post about that). She had been rolling from tummy to back for over 2 months. She had been trying so hard to get the other way, and now she finally did it! It was on a Friday (one of my work from home days), and I was on a break playing with her. Normally we let her play on a blanket on the floor, but this time I just had her on the carpet. I noticed she almost had the rolling, so I really started encouraging her. And, she did it! So, I set up my iPhone video camera and got her rolling on video! She did it about 4-5 times that day. It was very exciting. And, then I sent the video to Tyree. He was absolutely thrilled. Since then, she still rolls occasionally for us (my mother in law says she rolls every day for her). For us, though, she seems more interested in practicing sitting and then standing up while sitting on our legs. She's getting big so fast...
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Ariella's First Word! (Well, maybe not)
This morning, Tyree was cutting Ariella's fingernails. She was squirming around as usual. He was telling her "stay still". To our surprise, she said something that sounded like "ok"! We both paused and looked at each other. And, I think Tyree asked me "Did she just say ok?" Lol! I'm sure it was just a coincidence and probably doesn't really count as her first word, but it was super cute.
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