7 Month Update

Can you believe that Lydia Patience is 7 months old?! She is 16lbs 3oz and over 27 inches long! I can't believe how big she's gotten! She can still fit in most 3-6 onesies, but usually wears 6 month onesies. She doesn't fit in 6 month pants...she can still fit in her newborn pants! She's got a skinny waist, but long legs, so she needs the 3-6 month pants. She's got a lot of hair that curls when it gets wet and just sticks up all over her head. I have to put it in a pony to control it. She's getting her haircut today or tomorrow so it won't be so scraggly and stick up in the back. She has two bottom teeth and I keep thinking she's getting the two top, but they refuse to come in - they just like to cause her to get a mild temperature and drool a lot!

New things Lydia does:

• She started sitting up unsupported at the end of November. She can't get into a sitting position on her own, but she's really steady when she sits and can get onto her tummy (by accident and on purpose) while sitting. She loves sitting and playing with toys and watching her friends.
• She loves to stand and hold onto furniture. She sometimes forgets that she can't let go, so she will fall over. She has a new play table toy that she loves to stand at! She no longer likes tummy time. I try to get her on her tummy so she might start crawling and moving, but she doesn't like it for very long!
• She loves it when her friends arrive at daycare! She just starts smiling and kicking her legs. As soon as we walk into Leah's house in the morning she gets excited. She loves playing with the toys and watching her friends play. Her friends are good at giving her hugs and kisses and they hand her toys to play with.
• She has started using consonant-vowel combination sounds. She likes to go "mmmmmaa" and will say "na" and "ga". I love hearing her babble to herself.
• She sleeps mostly through the night! She is usually in bed by 6:15 or 6:30 and will sometimes wake up at 9:00 or 9:30 and I will nurse her (if she doesn't wake up I will dreamfeed her). She usually won't wake up again until 3:00 or 4:00, or not at all! Sometimes I even have to wake her up at 6:30 to get to work on time! She will usually take about an hour nap at 8:45 or 9:00 and then another hour nap at 12:30 to 1:30 and about a 45 minute nap at 4:30. On weekends, she will take about a 2 hour nap in the morning and then another 2 hour nap in the afternoon.
• She has started Stage 2 jarred foods. I have given her garden veggies and she loves them, and the bananas. I'm sure she'll love all the new flavors! She loves to eat jarred food and snack on crackers, goldfish, and French Fries. She tries to drink whatever I'm drinking and prefers my cup to her sippy cup.

I love all the new things she does and watching her grow bigger and bigger! It's so exciting when she does something new! She can be so goofy and playful and I love it! She's not much of a cuddler (she moves around too much), but my favorite time is early in the morning when I nurse her and she is still and sweet! Love it!

Ah, Yes, I Remember It Well...

We just finished putting away our Christmas presents, and will start putting away all the Christmas lights and the tree after New Years. It was an amazingly fun first Christmas in our house, and an even more amazing first Christmas for Lydia!

Christmas started last week, on the 18th when Brian's parents and sister came for Christmas #1. They are in Ecuador to be with Brian's sister, Tamara, for Christmas, so they came a week early to celebrate with us. Lydia was up and ready to play by 6:30. We had breakfast at 8:00, then Lydia went down for her morning nap. Surprisingly, she slept 2 hours, so we started opening presents late. Lydia loved tearing and eating the Christmas paper. She would look at her presents for a bit, but then go back to the paper and the bows. The Pfeiffers gave her a Little Tykes swing for outside. Brian put her in it inside and she loved it! She laughed and laughed! We can't wait to have it hanging up on our porch - Lydia's going to enjoy that for a long time! Another cute gift Lydia got was a pair of Brian's old shoes from when he was a toddler! Too cute! 

The Pfeiffers stayed until Sunday. We were able to play games and stay up late Saturday night, then went to church Sunday morning. They are in Ecuador now and enjoying their Christmas with Tamara.

The work week at Family Infant Home Care was easy. We had 4 kids on Monday, 3 on Tuesday, and 2 on Wednesday and Thursday. Leah and I did half days on Wednesday and Thursday. I took the morning shift (6:45 to 1:00) on Wednesday, and of course Leah was able to get off by 4:30 that day. I took the afternoon shift on Thursday, and didn't finish until 6:00! Oh well! Brian and I went to San Marcos on Wednesday to get gifts from Colloquium. Then we stopped off at Marketplace Theatre (where I used to work) to chat with our friend Darla and her two boys. Then we headed to Rolling Oaks Mall to finish up Christmas shopping. Thursday we dropped Lydia off with my parents then went to see UNSTOPPABLE (with Denzel Washington) - it was really good! Then, I went to work, and after that we dropped Lydia off again with my parents to go to Maggianos for our date night. It was pretty good, though we both like Olive Garden better.

Friday we spent most of the morning in bed, relaxing. Lydia woke up at 6:00 and watched The Wiggles Christmas show on my iPhone while Brian and I dozed. She then took a nap from 8:00 to 9:00 with us, which was nice. We stayed in the house until it stopped raining, then headed to Barnes & Noble so I could get two new books, then over to my parents house. Lydia did really well during the Christmas Eve service at church (she was very quiet, though wiggly), and slept while we drove around looking at Christmas lights.

Our Christmas #2 was at 6:30am Saturday. We opened up our stockings and present from Santa (I got SOUND OF MUSIC on DVD), then our presents from each other. It was so nice just opening presents with the three of us there, loved it! Lydia took a 2 hour morning nap, so I did, too. Then we headed over to my parents to have Christmas #3. Lydia got the cutest little chair from my parents! And a cute little rocking pony from Aunt Nellie!

All in all, it was a successful, fun 2010 Christmas! I can't wait until New Years!

This Story is About A Little Girl

We just got back from a great trip to Georgia for my friend's wedding! We met Leah C. when we lived on Long Island, New York - we were next door neighbors. Leah C. was friends with Rachel B. The four of us then became Leah, Leah, Rachel, Rachel! We have kept in moderate contact since we all left New York (in 2001). We went to each other's high school graduations, they came to my bridal shower (stayed a few days), Leah C. came to Leah's wedding, and now we all went to Leah C.'s wedding! My Leah was a bridesmaid, as was Rachel B., and I played the piano. It was a blast!

This was Lydia's first time on an airplane and I was so worried that she wouldn't do well! But, luckily (I guess), Lydia was up at 6:00 Thursday morning, went down for a nap by 8:30, but only slept until 9:00 - she usually takes an 1.5 nap in the morning. She was very tired by the time we got to the airport around 10:30 and very tired by the time we got on the plane! She slept off and on in my arms the whole way. She didn't even cry when we were taking off or landing! Plus, I actually nursed her in the plane, which was totally un-embarrassing for me.

We drove from Atlanta to Marietta to our hotel (got stuck in traffic) and met up with Leah and Rachel that evening. We went to a "Mexican" restaurant, which was actually decent and had spicy salsa! My Leah went to stay with Leah and Rachel at Leah's house, while I stayed at the hotel with my mom and Lydia. This was Lydia's first time in a hotel. She went to sleep around 8:45 and slept in my bed. I went to bed at 9:45. Lydia was up about every 3 hours and wanted to nurse (not be patted back down) and had a really stuffy nose. The plane ride made her cold worse. She woke up at 5:45 and was ready to play. We played in the little bathroom - sink area so Grandma could sleep, then went down for breakfast at 6:30. Lydia took her morning nap (and I took it with her) at 7:30 and slept until 8:30. We went to the mall and Lydia took her first photo in Santa's lap and didn't cry!

The wedding rehearsal was at 5:00 that evening. My mom took Lydia on a stroller ride all around the church while I stood in for a bridesmaid that wasn't present, since I wasn't able to go through the music that night. The rehearsal dinner was at Nathan's (Leah C.'s new husband) parent's house and it was delicious! Everyone adored Lydia and wanted to hold her. She slept in my mom's arms while chatted and we left around 8:00. Lydia slept a little bit better Friday night, but woke up around 2:30 screaming and crying and didn't fall back to sleep until 4:00. She then woke up at 5:30 but didn't really want to get up and it took me an hour to convince her to go back to sleep. Her nose was bothering her, again, and she was coughing.

Lydia was dressed in her pretty red wedding dress for the wedding ceremony. She was asleep in the cry room the whole time, but then enjoyed hanging out with the bridesmaids while they were taking pictures. The ceremony was beautiful and I played really well with a professional violinist. The violinist was really nice and understanding (and said I played beautifully) and helpful. Leah C. (now Leah F.) was beautiful in her gown and my sister and Rachel B. looked beautiful as well.

The reception was lovely and Lydia loved watching all the little kids running around and even made friends with a little boy who liked to give her kisses! She fell asleep during the loud music and dancing (somehow) but was awake to blow bubbles at the bride and groom. Rachel B. came back to our Atlanta hotel with us, so we had a chance to chat on the way, which was great. Lydia was able to get a pack and play crib from the hotel and slept much better Saturday night (although Aunt Leah said she felt like she woke up a ton of times that night - she's used to sleeping through the night).

Lydia's return flight was really good. She fell asleep across my legs and slept almost the entire way! I am so thankful and amazed at the great job she did the entire trip. If only she didn't have a cold she would have had much more fun! I am also thankful for my mom who was such a big help! I couldn't have made the trip without her!

Thank Heaven For Little Girls

I have been extremely busy the past month. We moved into our new house at the beginning of November and it has been non-stop since then, and it's going to be non-stop until next year!

The house is wonderful! It's great living on our own with all our own space. I still am in the process of decorating the way I want it, but everything is out of it's box and put away. I love that Lydia has her very own room, the computers have their own room, we have a guest room for Brian's family when they come visit, there's two bathrooms, a front room we never go in (unless I play the piano), and our comfy couches from IKEA! Brian, of course, had to buy a huge TV for the living room, while our smaller "huge" TV is in the guest room. I have the upright piano from my mom's house and am trying to sell the electric. Our next goal, for 2011, is to get Brian a new car!

Brian and I have gotten into a good routine in the mornings and evenings. I now get off work at 6:00pm, since I get to work at 6:45am and Leah doesn't come in until 7:30am. This way, I have time to start dinner and get Lydia to bed by 7:00. Brian is good at deciding which meal he wants each night and setting out the ingredients. He will usually take Lydia for a walk or an "adventure" after work (if she's in a good mood) so I can start dinner. Then, when they get home, he gets Lydia in her pajamas and I put her to bed. After that, we try to sit at the dinner table as much as possible and talk about our days. In the morning, we both get up at 6:00. When Brian's done getting ready he will get my snacks and Lydia's stuff together for the day, and get Lydia dressed if she's awake. After dinner we both clean up and it's nice to just hang out with each other.

Lydia is now 6 months old! She is sitting up on her own, eating jarred food as well as "real" food (French Fries, graham crackers, bread crust, and tastes of other foods that we're eating. She likes to drink water from my cup or a sippy cup. She's tried all the vegetables in Stage 1 foods and 2 of the fruits, plus baby yogurt. She has two bottom teeth and I think she's working on her two top teeth. I'm still nursing her about every three hours during the day, but I'm trying to stretch that out to every 4 hours. So far, I haven't found a schedule that works for Lydia and meshes with the center's schedule. She can go longer than 3 hours when she's not with me, of course. She now sleeps through the night! She goes to bed at 7:00, I dreamfeed her at 9:00 or 9:30, and she usually won't wake up until 4:30 or 5:00! And then she'll go back to sleep until 6:00 or 6:30. She takes about 1.5 hour nap in the morning, 2 hour nap in the afternoon, and a short nap in the evening.

We are headed to Georgia for my friend's wedding this weekend. I am not looking forward to going on a plane with Lydia, but am thankful that my mom and sister will be with me. I'm worried that Lydia will scream and scream! She also doesn't like to sit still for long periods of time and is very squirmy. Hopefully she will just sleep! My mom is coming along so she can take care of Lydia during the wedding events. I am playing the piano for the wedding and Leah is a bridesmaid. Lydia and Grandma will get to spend a lot of time together! I know my friends will just love Lydia, but she usually only lets me hold her, so hopefully she'll enjoy them and stay in a happy mood! I also don't know how she'll do sleeping in a hotel bed with me. Hopefully this doesn't create a bad habit!

December has been so busy already, I don't know when I'll find time to do my Christmas shopping! Last weekend, Brian and I had dentist appointments that took us from 11:00 to 1:00 to finish (lots of waiting - at least I didn't have any cavities!). Leah and I then went shopping for wedding outfits. Sunday we went to church, had lunch at my parent's, got a Christmas tree, then went to a community meeting at church. This weekend, I'll be in Georgia. Next weekend is Pfeiffer Christmas - Brian's family is coming to our house to celebrate, since they'll be going to Equador for Christmas. Then the next weekend is Christmas! I  may have time tonight or tomorrow night, or maybe Thursday morning before we leave. I love busyness, but I wouldn't mind some down time!

Et Cetera, Et Cetera, Et Cetera!

Wow, I haven't blogged in awhile. I didn't realize how hard this would be to keep up. When I think about blogging, I can't think of anything interesting to blog. I have plenty of good work-related stories, of course, but those are really only funny to Leah and me.

Brian's parents came to visit this past Saturday and we went to Brackenridge Park and the Japanese Gardens. Lydia was so well behaved! She napped right before we left, then again on the way there, and again on the way home. She rode the train for the first time and chatted the whole ride! Of course she was held a lot by Grandma and she loved every minute!

Sunday we went furniture shopping instead of going to church. Lydia slept in until 9:30 that morning (crazy!) and we were out the door by 10:30. We went to Rooms to Go first and found a few sofas that we liked. We also went to Ashley Furniture and The Room Store. I had thought of just getting a love seat, or small couch, for the living room. Brian discovered a love seat that is connected to a chaise lounge (it's a sectional, technically) and loves it. The design grew on me and we've pretty much decided on a sofa/chaise lounge from Ashley Furniture. Of course, Brian really likes it because it comes with an ottoman, side tables, AND a 50" HD TV. For some reason he thinks we need a bigger TV. It's a good thing I really like the couch and everything that goes with it.

We also need some dinning room chairs that match our dinning room table. We will have to search online for those, I think, unless we get my mom's when she gets a new breakfast table. I want to get a dresser, as well, instead of having plastic drawers. We are going to IKEA in Round Rock on Saturday to explore their furniture. Brian's never been to an IKEA, so it will definitely be an adventure for him. Lydia is staying with the Pfeiffer Grandparents while we shop with my mom at IKEA.

Lydia is starting to sleep a little bit better. We now have lullabies playing and a fan going to block out outside noises and to - hopefully - lull her back to sleep when she wakes up. She usually will wake up at about 11:00 and then 1:00. Lately, though, she's been waking up a lot after 1:00 (sometimes every hour), so by 4:30am I am ready to just have her in bed with me. I think she's getting used to this, but I really don't mind. I love having her cuddled up next to me! She sleeps really well when she's with us, of course. I know I'm probably creating a bad habit, but I need my sleep, too!

Lydia is now eating rice cereal mixed with breast milk for breakfast, around 7:30. She loves it! She gets fussy and wants more when she finishes! And, she's eating vegetables for lunch/early dinner (depending on when I have the time to give it to her). She has tried green beans so far and is just now starting to like them. At first she would refuse to open her mouth, but today she was leaning towards the spoon with her mouth open! I love that she's so interested in food!

Think What You're Trying to Accomplish

I have gotten more sleep in the past 3 nights than I have since May 28, 2010 (that night I didn't sleep at all - or the night after, either). This is partly my fault and partly Lydia sleeping better.

Sunday night, Lydia went to bed by 7:30 and I was in bed by 9:30 (yeah!). I woke up around midnight to check on Lydia, since she hadn't woken up yet. She was still fast asleep, so I went back to bed. I next woke up at 3:30, amazed at how well Lydia was sleeping. I looked over at the monitor and realized it was turned off! I quickly turned it on and could hear Lydia babbling to herself in her crib. I leaped out of bed, wondering how long she had been awake, how long she had cried, and how I could have possibly turned off the monitor! She was facing the opposite way I had put her into the crib, her socks were off, and her hair matted a bit from her tears. My poor baby! I never let her cry for very long. Amazingly, she forgave me, nursed, and then slept until 5:30, so I brought her in bed with me and she slept again until 6:15.

Monday night the monitor stayed on all night. Lydia was in bed by 7:30 and didn't wake up until 12:00. I let her cry for 5 minutes (she was just whimpering), then sent Brian in there to turn her over, put the pacifier back in her mouth, and pat her a few times. She was out in a second and slept until 2:00. I nursed her, put her back in bed, and she slept until 5:30.

Tuesday night, Lydia was in bed by 7:30. I turned the monitor down while Brian and I watched HOUSE on the laptop in bed. I never remembered to turn the volume back up on the monitor. I went to bed at 9:30 and didn't wake up until 4:30. I looked over at the monitor to see the orange lights flashing! Lydia was crying! How could I have done that again?! Luckily, she forgave me, again, and I nursed her and put her back to bed and she didn't wake up again until 6:30.

I want her to start sleeping better, but I never liked the cry-it-out theories. I hate hearing my baby cry. I do want her to be able to go back to sleep when she wakes up at night, but we'll work on that gradually. I have heard that the CIO theory works and may only take a few nights...but I just can't do it to Lydia. Of course, if these two monitor accidents cause her to sleep better, than that's fine...but I didn't do it willingly!

Despite the fact that I'm sleeping longer stretches at night (6 whole hours straight - amazing!), I'm still exhausted in the mornings. I hate waking up at 6:15. I'd rather cuddle with Lydia in bed for the whole morning. I've recently realized that I'll be waking up this early until all our kids are out of the house. And by then, I'll probably automatically wake up this early! Brian says we'll force ourselves to stay in bed late. At least Brian also wakes up by 6:20 - I don't like seeing him sleeping in late while I have to get up early.

In other news...we will hopefully close on our house by early November! Yeah! The owners have accepted our offer and we are just waiting on USAA with our loan-stuff. Very exciting! We'll be in our very own home before Thanksgiving! We are planning trips to Big Lots and IKEA to look at potential furniture. And I can't wait to decorate my own home! I'm sure Leah and Jessie are just as excited.

Lydia is going to a new pediatrician on Friday for her 4 month check up (a bit late). I got tired of her previous doctor's office not being able to find us on insurance. Hopefully this pediatrician is helpful and informative. Lydia has been eating rice cereal for 2 weeks now. She is not really interested in it because it probably doesn't taste all that great. I want to add fruit to her cereal, but will consult the pediatrician first. Lydia loves snacking on banana cookies and graham crackers. She watches me eat my food and I can tell she wants to eat it too! 

Brian and Lydia sleeping when Lydia was only a few days old.

Oh, Wouldn't It Be Lovely

Brian and I are now proud owners of iPhones. We went to the AT&T store last Saturday, and after an hour and a half, we finally came out of the store with two brand-new iPhones. I was amazed at how much add-ons the sales guy at the store wanted us to get. But, Brian was really good at turning the guy down. 

As soon as we got into our car, I took my iPhone out and started playing with it. The first person I called? My mom. Of course, she didn't answer since I have a new phone number, but it was still exciting making a phone call on my new phone. We went to Best Buy to buy covers for the phones and then spent the rest of the day playing with them. The only app (or is it ap?) I have bought is Angry Birds - very addictive. I'm not very good at it, but it's something to do when I'm bored. I have been taking a ton of pictures of Lydia on the iPhone and they look really good. I even figured out how to text message a picture to Brian so he can see what Lydia and I are doing while he's at work. These phones are awesome!

In other news....Lydia was supposed to have her 4-month check up on Thursday, but once again the office couldn't find her on the insurance. I was very frustrated, made a new appointment, called Brian and told him to fix it - again - and left. Lydia and I went to University Hospital (where Lydia was born) to pay our huge hospital bill. My insurance didn't cover any of the hospital charges because they found out I was in a car accident and let the car insurance company cover it all. Amazingly, AllState (the insurance the driver who hit us had) paid for the ENTIRE bill and gave us a pain and suffering check. My bill for the emergency room (which includes several x-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds, pain medications, etc), plus my delivery and hospital stay totaled up to over $19,000! AllState paid for it all, plus over $5,000 in pain and suffering. I practically had Lydia for free - except I didn't really want to go about it that way.

Despite not having her 4-month check up (I'm changing pediatricians - tired of this insurance stuff), I bought Lydia some rice cereal today and she tried some (mixed with breast milk) tonight. We set up her space saver high chair and she looked so tiny sitting in it! I made the cereal nice and watery (or milky) and let her try it. Most of it was spit out, but she enjoyed having it in her mouth. Plus, this is just practice for her to get used to eating solids. I think she'll be a pro soon! She already likes to suck on French Fries (I know, I'm bad) and banana cookies. She likes to watch us eat and I know she wishes she could have some, too.

I'm so excited that our little family will finally have a house of it's own! We have been approved for a loan from USAA (with a good interest rate) and the owners of the house accepted our offer! My parents have been awesome and are putting money towards the house - so we'll be co-owners - to ensure that we get the house we want and to help us afford it. Brian and I are looking forward to living in our own house and are already thinking of ways to decorate it. I have enjoyed living with the Carabajals for a year and a half now, but can't wait to be on our own - and I know they can't wait to have the house to themselves. We'll most likely be able to celebrate Thanksgiving in our new home!

And Conquer It You Will

This started off as an easy, almost "vacation-like" week for Leah and me at the daycare. N would be gone all week, B was off Monday and Tuesday, J would be gone Thursday and Friday, and C might be gone either Wednesday or Thursday. We would have, at the most, 3 babies at once! However, C came in on Monday with diarrhea, after having had the stomach bug on Friday. We didn't think much of it. She only messed her clothes a few times, nothing too horrible. She came in again on Tuesday with diarrhea, but only in the morning. 

Then, it happened. A threw up during her nap, then again at the table while she was drinking water. We sent her home. J threw up during nap, and then again after almost falling asleep in Leah's arms (luckily she had just put him down). Oh no! Two kids sick from the same thing after going months with never having a sickness in our class! The good thing about only having the same kids every day is that there is no illness. There may be a runny nose or two, but nothing bad that lasts a long time. In a big daycare, kids always have runny noses, are always getting fevers, diarrhea, ear infections - everything. The teachers also manage to catch whatever is going around. Sickness spreads like crazy at big daycares. But, in a contained daycare, hardly anything happens. However, C visited her cousins, who's daycare class was spreading the stomach bug. And then C brought it to us.

I thought for sure Lydia would avoid the bug. She was breastfed. Breastfed babies don't catch things like that. But, at 3 am Wednesday morning, after nursing and putting Lydia back in her crib, she threw up! Lydia's throw up is not disgusting - it's all milk - but it's still very messy! And I felt so bad for her! She would cry afterwards and look so sad. She was exhausted and slept all the time. She barely moved around and rarely smiled. She was not herself at all. It just broke my heart.

I called the doctor, since she wasn't able to keep anything down and I was worried about dehydration. I was told to bring her in. J and A weren't coming in that day, and we told B to stay home so she wouldn't get sick. We had detailed cleaned and sterilized everything in the center, but we still didn't want B getting sick. So, Leah only had C all day and I was able to take Lydia to the doctor. After being told Lydia wasn't on our insurance, and I had said I wanted her seen with or without insurance, we finally saw the doctor. Lydia wasn't showing signs of dehydration and the doctor recommended that I still try to nurse her every 3 hours, but maybe limit the feedings. If she kept throwing up afterwards, to give her a little bit of water.

We got back home and Lydia rested. I called Brian about the insurance issue and we found out that the hospital was wrong - Lydia was on our insurance. Lydia continued to throw up about an hour after every feeding. I kept her dressed in only a diaper and wrapped in a towel. Finally, after 1 am Thursday morning, Lydia was keeping her meals down and by 7:00 that morning, she was doing so much better - laughing and talking again!

But, I wasn't. Brian had gotten a little sick Wednesday night, so I let him sleep by himself in the bedroom while I slept in Lydia's room. He was feeling much better by the morning. I got sick at 4:30 Thursday morning and hoped I wouldn't throw up again. Thankfully, my mom and dad took Lydia for the morning so I could sleep and recuperate. No babies ended up coming, so Leah convinced Jessie to get off work early and then they took Lydia in the afternoon. By 2:00 Thursday afternoon, I was much better.

Finally this illness is gone! Leah never got sick and Jessie's stomach only hurt a little bit. A came back to daycare Friday, but B stayed home. So we just had A and C until 2:00, then we just had C. So, even though it's been an "easy" week with us having only a few kids, it's been a crazy week with everyone getting sick.

Today we are taking Lydia to the park, getting iphones, and then looking at more houses! I'm so glad everyone is back to normal and look forward to a "normal" week next week!