For Barb

Is that better now, you had a few things to read. :-) Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I just get so pre-occupied with stuff that most nights I am falling asleep before my head hits the pillow. I really wish I could take a nap during the day it just never works out, seems like there is always something to do or someone is always calling me. And with the way Kaylin has been napping here lately I wouldn't get much of a nap anyhow. Oh well I'm not really a napper anyways, feels like I am wasting my day.

Oh, yes it is absolutely wonderful being a mommy. I wouldn't trade this for anything!

We will have to get together sometime, whenever one of us can make a trip without a screaming baby in the car (hmmmmm when will that be) :-)

Breastfeeding

I can't believe it, I have been breastfeeding my baby girl exclusively for almost 4 months now! I am so happy to have made it this far. Breastfeeding really isn't as easy as one would think. It's not something you or the baby for that matter just automatically knows how to do, there is a lot of work that goes into it. I am so thankful that I took a class before she was born, it was very helpful. I have made it through very sore nipples in the beginning (thank goodness for Lansinoh lanolin), engorgement when my milk came in (thank goodness I have a good eater and a good pump), 3 major growth spurts (the worst being the 3 month), and Kaylin trying to be a lazy latcher for a while (not sure what was up with that). I have to admit too that I am just too lazy to give her a bottle, it's just so much easier to breastfeed her now that we have established a good system and both know what we are doing. I don't have to mix formula or heat anything it's always ready to go (makes those middle of the night feeds a lot easier...well when she gets up for a feed) and her diapers really don't smell...what's not to love about this. I really enjoy the bonding time that it affords me and her too. I am in no way saying that a woman must breastfeed her child in order to bond with them or that they must breastfeed their child because that's what they should do but I do feel that it is the best thing for your child. I also know that sometimes there are circumstances that won't allow a woman to breastfeed as well. I really wish that society hadn't made the breast such a sex symbol though, I would love to be able to nurse in public without feeling like I was going to offend someone. I try to avoid nursing in public at all costs because I am just so nervous about doing that, really wish I wasn't though. As time goes on though I am getting more comfortable with it, partly because I have gotten pretty good about hiding things now. I plan on nursing her until she is a year old (Pediatrician recommended). Of course I won't be nursing exclusively by that point we will actually start her on baby food/solids at 6 months..sooner if she shows signs of wanting to start solids before that but I don't plan on weaning her until she is a year or eating a good 3 meals a day.

Baby girls sleep

As you saw in my last post, my baby girl isn't going to bed until about 9pm each night. She used to be in bed by 7:30pm not sure what happened to change her routine but I would really like her to start going to bed a little earlier. I guess I really shouldn't complain though as she is pretty much sleeping through the night. She has gotten up a couple of times this week but not until 3 or 4 in the morning and that's just long enough for her to eat and go back to sleep. I start her bedtime routine at 7:00 in hopes that she will be in bed by 8pm but she just won't have that, maybe I need to start the routine at 6:30...it's just hard to do that as my hubby doesn't get home until 6 and wants to sit with her for a while. I can't deny him or her that either it's really his only time with her during the week. She hasn't really been napping as well either. She will take an hour maybe two hour nap in the morning and then will only nap for maybe an hour that afternoon and then wants to take another hour nap at around 4 or 5 (one reason I think she is going to bed later). I try really hard to play with her and wear her out for her afternoon nap in hopes that she will sleep longer but that doesn't work, she just gets over stimulated and screams for a half hour before going to sleep and then is back up in an hour anyhow. Any suggestions from you moms that have BTDT would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I just need to figure that this is how she is and go with it, it really doesn't bother me I just think it would be better for her. I really shouldn't expect her to want to go to sleep early when her parents are night owls I guess.

Trips to Wal-mart

I have started a new routine for grocery/misc. shopping. I am now going to Wal-mart after I get the baby girl to bed which is around 8 or 9 pm. Thanks to Barb for giving me this idea. I have found that there is way less stress and it gives me some me time.  The girl hates her car seat and isn't quite old enough to sit in the cart so I was rushing through the store with a crying baby and would forget a lot of stuff. The only way she was happy was if I wore her in the ergo baby carrier, which I really don't mind makes life a lot easier but I still would rush and forget a few things. This way I can just stroll through the store and I know that she is perfectly happy sleeping in her bed at home with her daddy watching out for her. Once she gets a little older I will probably start shopping during the day again.

Making these late night runs to Wal-mart almost makes me feel like a teenager again. It's so funny to see all the teens hanging out in Wal-mart parking lot, even though my town is growing into a small city it really does still have that hometown feel...hope it stays that way.

Another year older

I just had a birthday recently and can't believe that I am almost 30, still younger than some who have just recently had a birthday...you know who you are ;-) It was a pretty good b-day, we didn't do anything special just relaxed here at home.  My hubby did get me some flowers, they were a day late but at least he thought about me.

I was just thinking the other day that this is the cycle that I got pregnant with our little girl last year. I can't believe it has been a year already, it seems like just yesterday I was getting that positive pregnancy test. That was a very special anniversary gift to me and hubby. We found out on June 13 that we were going to have our girl and our anniversary was on the 15th. Okay, I have gotten way off topic now. Gotta run, someone is waking up from their nap and the kitty is pestering me for attention too.

Mother's Day

This year I finally got to celebrate Mother's day! My gift from the little girl was her letting me sleep an extra hour, oh and a digital picture frame (her daddy helped her pick it out :-) All in all it was a great day, unfortunately she wasn't all that happy to be out and about. We went to my in-laws to celebrate (my parents were there too) after church and I think it was just a little overwhelming for her little senses. For one thing their house was pretty warm, I was hot and sweating so I know the little girl wasn't comfortable. We keep our house at 72 and their house was about 76 or 77. The other thing was that the grandmas were fussing over her (can't really blame then though that's what grandmas do), she's just not used to having that many people in her face and being passed around. She slept really well that night though.

I am just so blessed to have such a wonderful little girl. I thank God that he had it in his plans to bless me and hubby with such a beautiful miracle.

Another Growth Spurt?

I think the little girl may be going through another growth spurt. She is wanting eat about every hour to 2 hours the past few days and has been waking up at 3am to feed again. This is definitely not normal for her, she was eating every 2 1/2 to 4 hours for about 3 weeks and was sleeping through the night. She seems to be a little more fussy than normal too, she's still happy just not for as long. I have noticed that she seems to be watching items a little more and following them. She absolutely loves her exersaucer, mainly because she gets to stand. There is one toy on the exersaucer that will make her smile and dance and will keep her occupied for about 10 minutes. She hasn't rolled over again, guess she just wanted to let me know that she could.

Oh we got her first pictures in yesterday too. They look great, my favorite is a pose (that she did all by herself) where her left hand is on the side of her face and it looks like she is thinking.

Laughing

The baby girl laughed for the first time on Tuesday. I thought she had laughed before but this laugh was different, you could tell that it was a laugh and that it was coming from her belly. It was the cutest thing to hear. Of course today she has decided to be miss quiet.

First Father's Day, Birthday, and Anniversary Gift Question

Okay so I know that Father's day is a little ways off but I am trying to figure out what to get my hubby for his first Father's day and figured I would ask for some suggestions. Please feel free to let me know what you think would be a great first Father's day gift. The past two Father's days were pretty difficult as we lost our first in June right after his birthday and before Father's day and our anniversary so I really want this to be a special day/month for him. Although if I am not mistaken his gift for Father's day last year was finding out that we were going to have our little girl, made the day much easier to handle. So June is a full month for gifts, hubby's birthday, Fathers day, and our anniversary are this month....I would appreciate ideas for all three as I am not good at this type of thing.

Can't wait to hear all of you exciting and wonderful ideas.