We also got her a big kid car seat. You can see what she thinks of it.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Shopping Spree
Abby really scored today at Toys R Us. We put Abby in the Exersaucer Ultra, the LeapFrog one, and the Baby Einstein one. The Exersaucer was the one she liked best...and it's purple. The LeapFrog just didn't have that many bells and whistles, and she didn't seem all that comfortable in the Baby Einstein one. She looooves it!! She couldn't decide what to play with first.
We also got her a big kid car seat. You can see what she thinks of it.
We also got her a big kid car seat. You can see what she thinks of it.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Help Please
We've been thinking about buying Abby one of those "activity centers", but we don't know which one. Her pediatrician suggested that Abby would love one at her age, and they are much safer than walkers because they don't go anywhere. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
4-Month Checkup
Abby had her well-baby checkup today. She is now 15lbs. 9.5 oz. and 26.25 inches long. She's more than doubled her birthweight already. According to her doctor, who eyeballs the chart, she's at about the 75th percentile for both height and weight. According to this website, she's in the 79th for weight and in the 95th for height. She's going to be taller than me before she's 2!
Apparently, Abby is one smart cookie. While talking about solids, her doctor mentioned that once upon a time it was suggested to wait until about the time baby rolls over to start, but now that babies aren't supposed to sleep on their tummies, they're not rolling until later. Umm...Abby rolled a few days shy of her 3-month birthday. She was surprised to hear that she's already found her feet. She was also surprised to hear that Abby can take an object and transfer it from hand to hand. I guess this isn't something most babies do until they're 6 months old! She's been doing it for a couple of weeks.
One thing that really surprised me about Abby's doctor is she's pro "crying it out." I totally had her pegged for more of an attachment-type parent. She said that a lot of babies start sleeping through the night on their own, but she doesn't think Abby will since we seem to be going backwards in her nighttime sleep. She agreed with the books that while it's the hardest thing to do, babies will usually only cry for about 3-4 nights before their sleeping through the night. By the 4th night, they just cry a little. It's something that if we decide to do, though, that we must commit to because going in there only makes things worse. It's so painful to listen to, though. I just don't know. One thing I do know, is that what we're doing now isn't working. Last night, she woke up around 9:15 and didn't fall asleep until after 11:30pm.
Apparently, Abby is one smart cookie. While talking about solids, her doctor mentioned that once upon a time it was suggested to wait until about the time baby rolls over to start, but now that babies aren't supposed to sleep on their tummies, they're not rolling until later. Umm...Abby rolled a few days shy of her 3-month birthday. She was surprised to hear that she's already found her feet. She was also surprised to hear that Abby can take an object and transfer it from hand to hand. I guess this isn't something most babies do until they're 6 months old! She's been doing it for a couple of weeks.
One thing that really surprised me about Abby's doctor is she's pro "crying it out." I totally had her pegged for more of an attachment-type parent. She said that a lot of babies start sleeping through the night on their own, but she doesn't think Abby will since we seem to be going backwards in her nighttime sleep. She agreed with the books that while it's the hardest thing to do, babies will usually only cry for about 3-4 nights before their sleeping through the night. By the 4th night, they just cry a little. It's something that if we decide to do, though, that we must commit to because going in there only makes things worse. It's so painful to listen to, though. I just don't know. One thing I do know, is that what we're doing now isn't working. Last night, she woke up around 9:15 and didn't fall asleep until after 11:30pm.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Abby's New Favorite Toy
Abby has discovered her feet. I couldn’t figure out why just her left sock kept coming close to falling off a couple of different days last week. I didn’t even think that maybe she was pulling it off, but I finally saw her do it on Saturday. She gets so excited to grab them. It's so cute to watch. Now, she's constantly grabbing them.
Thanks for the teething suggestions. It’s good to know that’s what it is. I hesitate to give her any medication because she’s not in pain yet. In fact, we are in an awesome stage where she is happy and playful all the time. The only time she gets cranky is when I try to feed her. I can’t seem to get her to eat more than an ounce or two at a time some days, so I’m feeding her constantly. The problem in the middle of the night is that she’s fully waking up and it takes her a while to settle down. She did really well last night, though. She woke up at 10 and 1ish, and went right back to sleep in her crib both times. Her 4:30 wake-up was a different story, though. She didn’t fall back to sleep until after 5:30, but at least I managed to get her to sleep in her co-sleeper instead of in bed with us. I think I fell asleep before she did.
We bought her a couple different teething rings over the weekend, and she seems to like them…when she can get them in her mouth.
Thanks for the teething suggestions. It’s good to know that’s what it is. I hesitate to give her any medication because she’s not in pain yet. In fact, we are in an awesome stage where she is happy and playful all the time. The only time she gets cranky is when I try to feed her. I can’t seem to get her to eat more than an ounce or two at a time some days, so I’m feeding her constantly. The problem in the middle of the night is that she’s fully waking up and it takes her a while to settle down. She did really well last night, though. She woke up at 10 and 1ish, and went right back to sleep in her crib both times. Her 4:30 wake-up was a different story, though. She didn’t fall back to sleep until after 5:30, but at least I managed to get her to sleep in her co-sleeper instead of in bed with us. I think I fell asleep before she did.
We bought her a couple different teething rings over the weekend, and she seems to like them…when she can get them in her mouth.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Surprise Visitor
I got a surprising phone call on Friday night. Alice was in town! For those of you who don’t know Alice, she’s a fiery redhead who was one of our contacts in the military base for the moving company. We got together Saturday afternoon in Coeur D’Alene, and she got to meet Damon and Abby.
I’m not sure if the Internet is ready for Alice. Abby certainly wasn’t. It was great seeing you Alice!
I’m not sure if the Internet is ready for Alice. Abby certainly wasn’t. It was great seeing you Alice!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Teething
I think Abby's teething, but I don't know for sure. Help!
First, there's the drool. She could seriously solve the drought problem with all of her drool. The drooling started a while ago, but it seems to have gotten worse lately. Second, she constantly has her fingers in her mouth. She's not really sucking them so much as she is chewing them. Like a puppy with a bone. Third, she suddenly has a hard time eating. This just started about a week ago. She'll eat really well in the evenings when she's half-asleep, but it's become a real struggle during the day. She'll take the bottle right away as if she's hungry, but after a few drinks, she starts crying and squirming. She'll get really pissed if I try to give her boob. This is what really makes me think she's teething. Now, it's to the point where she starts crying as soon as I try to put her bib on.
Finally, and this is the worst part, she won't sleep! For a couple of months now, she'd only be up long enough to eat in the middle of the night, usually about 15 minutes. 30 tops, and that wasn't very often. We'd even gotten so that she'd only wake up once in the middle of the night, around 4ish. That just made what we're going through now worse, though, because we got a taste of actual sleep. Real sleep that lasts more than an hour at a time. Since last week, she's been waking up every couple of hours, and it takes her at least an hour to settle down. She still falls asleep while eating, but she wakes up the second I lay her down. I've been giving up and bringing her to bed with us lately. She seems to sleep better there, but she is such a bed hog! She likes to sleep with her arms stretched out on either side of her, but at the same time she likes to be pressed up against me. She somehow manages to scoot herself over closer to me, so her head is in my armpit. Then, she thrashes around because she doesn't have the room to stretch out her arms, so I move closer to the edge. By morning, I'm half in her co-sleeper that is still attached to the bed. At least she'll nurse in bed, so I don't have to get up to feed her once she's in there with us. We both fall back to sleep while she eats, so at least there is some good to having her there. Damon and I would like our bed back, though.
So, does this sound like she's teething? I haven't felt anything yet on her gums, but they say babies can teethe for up to 3 months before actually seeing a tooth. I really hope this doesn't last for 3 months. I am not looking forward to it getting worse once the teeth start to get closer to the surface.
I should point out that she is eating. In fact, she's eating more now than she was a few weeks ago. It's just a struggle to get her to eat. I'm feeding her more often because she'll only eat an ounce or two at a time.
This is what my side of the bed looks like in the morning:
First, there's the drool. She could seriously solve the drought problem with all of her drool. The drooling started a while ago, but it seems to have gotten worse lately. Second, she constantly has her fingers in her mouth. She's not really sucking them so much as she is chewing them. Like a puppy with a bone. Third, she suddenly has a hard time eating. This just started about a week ago. She'll eat really well in the evenings when she's half-asleep, but it's become a real struggle during the day. She'll take the bottle right away as if she's hungry, but after a few drinks, she starts crying and squirming. She'll get really pissed if I try to give her boob. This is what really makes me think she's teething. Now, it's to the point where she starts crying as soon as I try to put her bib on.
Finally, and this is the worst part, she won't sleep! For a couple of months now, she'd only be up long enough to eat in the middle of the night, usually about 15 minutes. 30 tops, and that wasn't very often. We'd even gotten so that she'd only wake up once in the middle of the night, around 4ish. That just made what we're going through now worse, though, because we got a taste of actual sleep. Real sleep that lasts more than an hour at a time. Since last week, she's been waking up every couple of hours, and it takes her at least an hour to settle down. She still falls asleep while eating, but she wakes up the second I lay her down. I've been giving up and bringing her to bed with us lately. She seems to sleep better there, but she is such a bed hog! She likes to sleep with her arms stretched out on either side of her, but at the same time she likes to be pressed up against me. She somehow manages to scoot herself over closer to me, so her head is in my armpit. Then, she thrashes around because she doesn't have the room to stretch out her arms, so I move closer to the edge. By morning, I'm half in her co-sleeper that is still attached to the bed. At least she'll nurse in bed, so I don't have to get up to feed her once she's in there with us. We both fall back to sleep while she eats, so at least there is some good to having her there. Damon and I would like our bed back, though.
So, does this sound like she's teething? I haven't felt anything yet on her gums, but they say babies can teethe for up to 3 months before actually seeing a tooth. I really hope this doesn't last for 3 months. I am not looking forward to it getting worse once the teeth start to get closer to the surface.
I should point out that she is eating. In fact, she's eating more now than she was a few weeks ago. It's just a struggle to get her to eat. I'm feeding her more often because she'll only eat an ounce or two at a time.
This is what my side of the bed looks like in the morning:
Monday, April 18, 2005
4 months
Abby is 4 months old today.
This month she:
• rolled over from front to back a few days before her 3-month birthday.
• outgrew her 0-3 month clothes just before her 3-month birthday.
• outgrew size 1 diapers.
• outgrew size 2 diapers too!
• outgrew 4-ounce bottles, and moved up to Level 2 nipples.
• will only wake up once in the middle of the night to eat. Hah! That lasted a couple of weeks.
• has started to wake up every hour or two all of a sudden again.
• sleeps in her crib with no problem.
• only gets a little fussy for nap times.
• goes to bed between 7:00-8:00pm every night, giving Damon and I time to ourselves.
• holds her head and chest up easily when on her stomach.
• is starting to want to roll over from back to front.
• loves to stand up while we hold her. Her legs support her for several minutes at a time.
• can pull the pacifier out of her mouth. This is very annoying because she gets frustrated when she can’t put it back. It’s funny to watch, though, because you can see her thinking and trying to figure out how to get it in her mouth. It entertains her for quite a while, until she drops it.
This month she:
• rolled over from front to back a few days before her 3-month birthday.
• outgrew her 0-3 month clothes just before her 3-month birthday.
• outgrew size 1 diapers.
• outgrew size 2 diapers too!
• outgrew 4-ounce bottles, and moved up to Level 2 nipples.
• will only wake up once in the middle of the night to eat. Hah! That lasted a couple of weeks.
• has started to wake up every hour or two all of a sudden again.
• sleeps in her crib with no problem.
• only gets a little fussy for nap times.
• goes to bed between 7:00-8:00pm every night, giving Damon and I time to ourselves.
• holds her head and chest up easily when on her stomach.
• is starting to want to roll over from back to front.
• loves to stand up while we hold her. Her legs support her for several minutes at a time.
• can pull the pacifier out of her mouth. This is very annoying because she gets frustrated when she can’t put it back. It’s funny to watch, though, because you can see her thinking and trying to figure out how to get it in her mouth. It entertains her for quite a while, until she drops it.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
God help us Abby is now trying to roll over from back to front. She has been pushing off with her feet and lifting up her tushie for a while, but now when she does that she'll lift her shoulder and twist her body. She looks like a professional wrestler. Often, during a match, one guy will pin the other guy, but he’ll throw his shoulder up to keep the match going. Abby can get herself on her side now, but she gets frustrated because she can’t make it all the way over, so I help her out. Then, she gives me a look that says, “THIS is what I was trying to do? I don’t like being on my tummy. PUT ME BACK!”
She can also lift her head up now when she’s propped up on pillows on the bed. It’s pretty funny because she’ll bring her head forward in an attempt to sit up on her own, but she doesn’t have the strength to do it yet, so she ends up falling over to one side.
She can also lift her head up now when she’s propped up on pillows on the bed. It’s pretty funny because she’ll bring her head forward in an attempt to sit up on her own, but she doesn’t have the strength to do it yet, so she ends up falling over to one side.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
I Kinda Cheated
With the exception of the sunglasses pictures, the last bunch were old ones. In fact, they were all taken in March, but I hadn't gotten around to taking new ones. Here are some from this week.
waking up from a nap.
She looks like she just sucked on a lemon.
waking up from a nap.
She looks like she just sucked on a lemon.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Can You See it?
I remembered my digital camera has a movie mode, so I filmed Abby rolling over. Does this link work for you? You should see it in Windows Media Player if I did it right. Let me know.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Out for a Walk
Rita bought Abby these sunglasses when they were here. Abby didn't quite know what to think of them when we put them on for the first time today. They stayed on the whole time we went for a walk, though. They didn't bother her once she got used to seeing the world with a purple tint.
Friday, April 8, 2005
America's Next Top Model
Sorry grandmas, I'm having trouble uploading pictures.
I've been researching convertible car seats for awhile, so we'd be ready when the time came. I couldn't remember whether her current infant car seat is good for 20 or 25lbs., so I looked it up the other day. Either way, she won't hit that milestone for quite awhile, so we have have plenty of time, right? Well, apparently she can use her car seat until she's 20lbs. OR 26 inches tall (long). Umm, it looks like it's time to buy a new car seat! We measured her when she turned 3 months, because we're obsessive like that, and our future supermodel was about 25.67 inches already. 4-month well-baby checkup is in a few weeks, so we'll get the official measurement then, but by then she'll probably well over 26 inches tall.
One thing I've been wondering about, though, is what am I going to do when we go shopping? All I have to do right now is snap the car seat out and snap it on the shopping cart. She can sit up pretty well when she's propped up, but she's certainly not ready to sit in the seat area yet. I know a lot of places have plastic car seats attached to some carts, but what about the places that don't? I'm going to the grocery store when she wakes up and we'll have to make sure they have those seats. I know my beloved Target does, so at least they won't be able to keep me away from there. There's a reason why she's not supposed to outgrow the infant seat until she's older! She needs to quit growing already.
I've been researching convertible car seats for awhile, so we'd be ready when the time came. I couldn't remember whether her current infant car seat is good for 20 or 25lbs., so I looked it up the other day. Either way, she won't hit that milestone for quite awhile, so we have have plenty of time, right? Well, apparently she can use her car seat until she's 20lbs. OR 26 inches tall (long). Umm, it looks like it's time to buy a new car seat! We measured her when she turned 3 months, because we're obsessive like that, and our future supermodel was about 25.67 inches already. 4-month well-baby checkup is in a few weeks, so we'll get the official measurement then, but by then she'll probably well over 26 inches tall.
One thing I've been wondering about, though, is what am I going to do when we go shopping? All I have to do right now is snap the car seat out and snap it on the shopping cart. She can sit up pretty well when she's propped up, but she's certainly not ready to sit in the seat area yet. I know a lot of places have plastic car seats attached to some carts, but what about the places that don't? I'm going to the grocery store when she wakes up and we'll have to make sure they have those seats. I know my beloved Target does, so at least they won't be able to keep me away from there. There's a reason why she's not supposed to outgrow the infant seat until she's older! She needs to quit growing already.
Monday, April 4, 2005
Happy Birthday to You...
Dear Justin and Anthony,
Happy Birthday guys! I must admit that I can never remember whose birthday is on which day. I know one of you is the 3rd (Anthony, I think) and the other the 6th (Justin?), but I can never remember for sure. I really need to start writing these things down because I'm getting forgetful in my old age.
Don't forget that it's your day to be queen for the day. :) I can't believe how old you guys have gotten already. When I moved to Iowa, Justin, you were 14 and so excited to turn 16 to get your driver's license. Now, Anthony's almost there! Anthony, I can't believe you're almost a teenager already. Oh my God, you're going to be in high school soon! Wow! Time sure flies. I miss you guys. I hope you have the bestest birthdays ever.
Love,
Your favorite sister, brother-in-law, and niece
Happy Birthday guys! I must admit that I can never remember whose birthday is on which day. I know one of you is the 3rd (Anthony, I think) and the other the 6th (Justin?), but I can never remember for sure. I really need to start writing these things down because I'm getting forgetful in my old age.
Don't forget that it's your day to be queen for the day. :) I can't believe how old you guys have gotten already. When I moved to Iowa, Justin, you were 14 and so excited to turn 16 to get your driver's license. Now, Anthony's almost there! Anthony, I can't believe you're almost a teenager already. Oh my God, you're going to be in high school soon! Wow! Time sure flies. I miss you guys. I hope you have the bestest birthdays ever.
Love,
Your favorite sister, brother-in-law, and niece
Saturday, April 2, 2005
Good Night
Last night was a big success! Abby slept from 7:30pm to 6:15am in her crib, only waking up at 10pm and again at 2:30am. Awesome! I was going to do a "dream feed" at 10 anyway, but she beat me to it. When she woke up at 6:15, I changed and brought her into bed with us. We played for a while, then I nursed her and we all fell asleep. That is, until she kicked us out of bed. She thrashed around and kept waking us up until we gave up and got up. Now, she's sprawled across the bed sleeping like, well, like a baby. That girl is such a bed hog.
Damon and I didn't get much sleep. She is so noisy! When she's laying in the co-sleeper, we can pretty much sleep through her little peeps until she starts grunting and letting me know it's time to get up. In her crib, every little sigh or moan would keep us up. She did finally quiet down quite a bit after the 2am feeding, but before that it was impossible to sleep.
We did enjoy not having to tip-toe into our bedroom when we were ready to go to bed. We were able to turn on lights instead of walking in the dark and talk in regular voices. The best part was that we got to lay in bed and read! That was a luxury I've really missed since I love to read before bed. I haven't cracked open a book that wasn't for school or about babies since she was born.
Damon and I didn't get much sleep. She is so noisy! When she's laying in the co-sleeper, we can pretty much sleep through her little peeps until she starts grunting and letting me know it's time to get up. In her crib, every little sigh or moan would keep us up. She did finally quiet down quite a bit after the 2am feeding, but before that it was impossible to sleep.
We did enjoy not having to tip-toe into our bedroom when we were ready to go to bed. We were able to turn on lights instead of walking in the dark and talk in regular voices. The best part was that we got to lay in bed and read! That was a luxury I've really missed since I love to read before bed. I haven't cracked open a book that wasn't for school or about babies since she was born.
Friday, April 1, 2005
She's a Big Girl Now
Abby is going to sleep in her crib in her own room for the first time tonight. She has been taking naps in there this week, and it's been going so well, we've put her down for the night in there too now. So far, so good. She fell asleep without too much fuss. We laid her down about 1/2 hour ago, and I've only had to go in there once to soothe her. It's such a strange feeling to have her in there. On the one hand, we were ready for the move, and it will be nice having our bedroom to ourselves again. On the other hand, we're worried because she won't be right there where we can see her and know she's safe throughout the night. Logically, we know she'll be fine, but our emotions get the best of us and we fear the worst. This is such a sad and difficult thing to do. I want to go in there, and tell her to stop growing up so fast already! I am so not looking forward to her first day of school now. I'll probably the one bawling while she runs off and leaves me. I'm sure neither Damon nor I will sleep a wink tonight. This is definitely harder on us than it is on her.
P.S. Hi Mike! It's great hearing from you. My mom updates me every so often on how you're doing.
P.S. Hi Mike! It's great hearing from you. My mom updates me every so often on how you're doing.
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