Bear Hug

Fair warning:  I will likely be too engrossed in the Olympics to do much posting in the next few days.  I LOVE the Olympics.  Can you blame me?  [Side note: does anyone else find this clip of the Today Show hosts competing in a race walking competition as utterly hilarious as I do?  Ryan Seacrest and Matt Lauer get me every. single. time (yes, I've watched it more than once).]


Anyway, I digress.  Dan was in Lake Tahoe two weeks ago for the wedding of our friends Ryan and Erin.  I hate that I missed the festivities, but heard that a fun time was had by all - and judging from the pictures, it was absolutely beautiful.  Congrats, you two!  Dan brought THE CUTEST present home for Lilly:

I got a magnet, which is also cute, but I'm too lazy to go back downstairs to snap a picture of it for your viewing pleasure.  Have you ever seen a cuter onesie?!  The bear is hugging it, hence the paws on the back. Get it?!  Bear hug?!?!?! It was a tad too big (saggy in the butt - I'm afraid she gets her lack of rear end from her Mother!), but I just couldn't resist letting Daddy's girl model her new threads:

SO cute, yes?!  I'll leave you with one more.  I know Lilly looks less than thrilled in this one, but she'd just finished laughing hysterically at Layla:

Happy gymnastics and swimming (and everything else) watching!  Oh yeah, and... YAY TEAM USA! 


Sarah

6 Months Old - Part Deux

We went to the doctor today for Lilly's 6-month check-up, and I am happy to report that all is well!  


LGB's official stats:  She is 26.5 inches long (90th percentile) and weighs 18 lbs (96th percentile, ha!).  My little chunker is nothing if not healthy!  The doctor does not appear to be worried about L's weight at all - she has already noticeably slimmed down since she's started moving around more, and as she gets more mobile she will thin out a lot.  


All of the ladies and nurses "oohed" and "ahhed" over Lilly and kept saying how beautiful she is and how much they liked her pretty blue dress and matching bow (we lost the bow and the good mood because unfortunately I didn't think to snap pictures until after shots, but you get the idea):

The rest of the visit went well.  When the doctor came in, the first thing she told me was that she tells everyone that comes in who is having problems nursing about how Lilly started nursing at three months.  She said that of course she abides by patient confidentiality and would never name names, and she said she disclaims by telling the mothers, "this situation should be in a glossy print ad with an asterisk that says, this is an anomaly," but she says she uses it to let them know that there is, indeed, hope.  She also said it's the craziest thing she's ever heard.  Ha!


One thing I learned was that we can now give L any food that she won't choke on (except for honey, due to the allergens) - even meat!  Steph told me today that her doctor said if you start babies on solids at 4 months (check) then you can move beyond stage 1 foods at 6 months.  So, now I'm excited for Lilly to start trying some new, fun foods!  Dr. V told Lilly that she should come give her other baby patients lessons on how to be an awesome baby. :-)  Lilly was in a pretty good mood and talked to and giggled at Dr. V the whole time - I was glad, considering her appointment was smack dab in the middle of her morning nap time.  I asked if we should be concerned that Lilly doesn't sit up for very long periods of time on her own yet, because I have several friends with babies around Lilly's age who sit up like pros.  She said that all babies are different and that Lilly has rockstar back muscles (direct quote) and that her tummy muscles are just trying to catch up.  She said this is probably partially due to the fact that L would only roll one way for the longest time, but it's nothing to worry about.  Lilly was rolling all around on the examination table and showing off pushing herself up and getting into her crawling position, to which Dr. V. said that she is going to be crawling SOON and she hopes we've started baby proofing (nope, oops).  She said that she won't be surprised one bit if L crawls before she sits.  Lord help us all!  I asked about her inconsistent poops and the doctor said it was normal, and also asked about giving Lilly water (thanks for the question, Steph!).  She said that at this point we can absolutely give L water if we want to, but it's definitely not required.  She said if we're out and about and it's hot and Lilly is sweating, definitely give her some to help keep her hydrated (2-4 oz. in a bottle), but other than that it wasn't something we have to do unless we want to.  The only other thing the doctor said that we need to be doing is making sure to get Lilly to eat either rice cereal or oatmeal every day - she said that it is important for L to get the iron.  Great, since she HATES both of those - even with fruit.  I'll keep trying, though!


The only other thing to note was a small incident that happened this morning which literally scared me to death.  Lilly woke up early today, around 6:15 (teething), but it ended up being okay because she got a super short morning nap in before I had to wake her up to head to the doctor.  Anyway, so I was nursing her before I put her down, and she wasn't asleep yet, and all of a sudden she started convulsing.  The only way I can think to describe it is that it reminded me of what a seizure would look like.  Dan asked if she just got a chill, but it wasn't that because it lasted somewhere between 20-25 seconds.  I looked down at my leg to make sure I wasn't inadvertently bouncing it up and down, and I wasn't.  I couldn't see her eyes - they were closed - so I couldn't tell whether they were rolled back in her head or anything crazy like that.  I pulled her off the breast and she was still laying on the nursing pillow convulsing, so I called her name several times, keeping my hand on her.  After probably 5-7 seconds of this and me calling her name a few times, she finally stopped convulsing and opened her eyes and looked at me and just looked really confused.  She then ate some more and went right to sleep.  She never did get upset or anything like that, but I am telling you it scared. me. to. DEATH.  I double checked with Carney to make sure she hadn't ever noticed this happening (she hadn't), but I was SO GLAD we were going to the doctor anyway so that I could ask about it.  Dr. V. said that since this was the first time we'd noticed it, she was hoping that it was just neurological development and that L was in that "in between" stage between awake and asleep - sort of like when you have a falling dream.  She told us to definitely keep an eye on it and if it happened two more times to bring her in immediately.  I watched her on the monitor tonight when she was falling asleep and didn't notice anything, but good gosh it scared me!  Dr. V. also told me how to tell whether it was a seizure.  I talked to my Mom about it tonight, because the doctor asked if there was any family history of anything like this, and come to find out, my Mom did this when she was a baby.  She said that it normally corresponded with running a high fever, but it's definitely something to note and tell the doctor if it happens again (which hopefully it won't).


Last but not least, there were the dreaded shots.  Lilly did fine - she took the oral medication no problem, which surprised me since she is normally funny about those things.  She doesn't even like the liquid vitamin D we give her - I have to sneak it into bottles - and that stuff tastes good.  She didn't cry at all for the first shot, but she cried for the second one.  Luckily, the crying only lasted for about 10 seconds and after some Mommy snuggles and kisses she was OK.  Carney said that L  literally slept from the time she left the doctor until she woke her up at 4, which is not unusual after shots.


All in all, a good report!  Of course we are biased and think Lilly is perfect, but it's always nice to have confirmation that we're doing okay.  Since this got long (shocker), I'll wrap it up with our 6-month photo shoot as promised - she was much more cooperative this morning when she woke up than she was last night.  I swear, the many expressions of Lilly get me every single time!!!

Happy Hump Day!


Sarah

6 Months Old

I can't believe it's time for another monthly update!  I was just thinking this morning about how time has flown - it seems like just yesterday we were on our way to the hospital, and now here we are 6 months later.  Where did my baby go and who is this big girl?!  


Anyway, monthly updates and every other post I ever write are always long, so I'll get right to it.

Weight/Length: I'll report back with official stats after tomorrow's 6-month check up.  If we are below 20 lbs, I'll be shocked.  I can't wait to find out her percentiles - my money says she's still up there on both weight and length.

Sleep: Still a great sleeper!  There have been some nights recently where Lilly has been up on and off due to various reasons - lately, teething is the culprit - but I can't even complain about those nights because if she's ever up it's only once and she's back down within 15 minutes.  Bed time is normally around 7:30 pm, and wake up time varies, but on a typical day it's some time between 7-8 am.  She has made it easy on us for sure! 

Feeding: Still primarily nursing, and it's still every 3-4 hours (usually more on the 3-hour end of that range unless a nap falls in between feedings).  We have started feeding her solids twice/day - fruit in the morning and veggies at night.  Up to this point, I've made all of her purees.  The solids she's tried so far, in no particular order, are: rice cereal, oatmeal, pears, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, peas, carrots, apples, peaches, plums.  I think the only thing we have left in the stage one foods is green beans - there may be one or two more that I'm forgetting.

Firsts This Month: I know I say this at every monthly update, but I really  need to start making a list as these occur, because I know I always leave things out.  The big ones are: first "solids" (read: purees), first wedding (Aunt Katy's!), first time sitting up without help (short periods of time only), first time rolling from tummy to back (she's been rolling from back to tummy for a while but finally got the hang of the opposite way shortly after last month's post).  I wish I could say first tooth - I know teething can last quite a while, but the past day or so has not been fun!   

Developments: As I mentioned above, Lilly can now sit up on her own for short periods of time without help.  I normally put the boppy pillow behind her if I'm not going to be nearby, because she's still a little wobbly.  She's discovered her feet and loves to grab them, so that makes her fall over a lot.  She continues to be very vocal, and I love watching her learn and explore. She can now roll both ways and prefers to sleep on her tummy.  She is so mobile already and she's not even crawling yet - and she is into everything.  Soooo nosey, my child.  I am expecting her to crawl sooner rather than later - she appears to be super close. 

Likes: Being outside (she LOVES to swing on the front porch) and swimming are two of her favorite things in the whole world.  Layla.  Bath time.  Snuggling.  Giggling.  Reading books.  Nap time/sleeping in general.  Sucking her thumb (especially when sleepy).  Eating - her favorite solids so far are apples, pears and butternut squash (sweet tooth like her Mommy, I guess!).  Favorite toys (thanks to Auntie Steph/Hadley for a lot of the teething toy recommendations!): pony tails book, vibrating strawberry teether, baby banana toothbrush (loves to chew on this!), gigglin' bee ball, Jumperoo.  Music.  Laughing.  Rolling all over the place - she is a rolling machine!  Being naked.  Being silly with Daddy.  

Dislikes: I always have a harder time with this category - there's not much that the child doesn't like.  Please don't misunderstand and think that I am saying Lilly is never fussy, but she generally is a very happy child.  In terms of food, she is pretty unsure about carrots, peas, plums, and she decidedly hates rice cereal and oatmeal.  I've been able to sneak a little oatmeal into her apples a few times, but I have to be careful on the amount - she won't eat it if she can taste it.  Still hates sunscreen and getting dressed (really only before bed time because she's tired).  She also doesn't like to do one thing for too long - she hates to be bored.  For the first time, I can leave off cold water - the pool has been cold several times and she has been OK, so I guess she's decided that she likes water of all kinds?

What I'm Thankful For:  Tonight I am thankful for a 7:30 bed time, Tylenol and Ora-Gel. My poor baby girl's teeth hurt so bad that she wouldn't eat much, just kept chewing on 
her high chair:

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Our doctor's appointment tomorrow!  I have lots of questions.  I'm not looking forward to the shots, though.  We have lots of fun things coming up, but a few I'm excited about are swim lessons and our Eaker family trip to the mountains in a few weeks. 

Next Pediatrician Appointment: Tomorrow, July 25!

How Mommy's Doing:  Still great!  Still trying to figure out how to get to work on time and how to magically melt away some lbs, but other than that, all is well. 


Lilly was feeling too yucky to cooperate for photos with her monthly sticker tonight (teething-induced low-grade fevers are no fun!), so I'm going to try again in the morning if she's in a good mood.  Instead, I'll leave you with some pictures from the past few days...the last two were actually taken this morning, so not a total fail on taking them on the actual day of her monthly "birthday".


This first series was taken over the weekend.  Dan left last Tuesday morning before Lilly woke up and didn't get home until after she went to bed on Friday night, so she didn't see him from Monday until Saturday.  I took these pictures of her hearing his voice and then seeing him when he got home...sweet girl loves her Daddy!  

Not thrilled about her church dress on Sunday:

Silly girl goofing off after bath time Sunday night:

She was mid-belly-laugh in this one and looks kind of possessed, but I thought it was hilarious!

Yes, you are seeing this correctly: they were both in the same chair at the same time and cooperated long enough for me to get a picture!

Happy 6 months, sweet Lillian Grace - the best six of my life so far.  I love watching you learn and grow, and you have taught me so much much already.  Most of all, I love being your Mommy.  I love you, baby girl!


Sarah 

Water Baby

My child LOVES to be in the water.  I present to you evidence in the form of tonight's bath:

Mind you, the water has to be the right temperature in order for homegirl to be happy.  It doesn't have to be hot, but it certainly can't be cold.  Here are a few pictures I snapped of Lilly getting ready to go to the pool over the weekend:

We've been to the pool to "swim" almost every day for the past week.  On Saturday and Sunday, we went for about two hours each day (we went in the late afternoon and stayed in the shade, of course).  The child LOVES it, I tell you.  Double bonus?  It wears her out.  

Side note: this float is amazing.  I bought mine at Target but it's cheaper on Amazon.  We love it so much that we ordered one to keep at my in-laws' house at the beach, and I'm about to order another one to keep at my Mom's house.  Do yourself a favor and get it - Lilly loves hers and will sit in it all by herself for long periods of time.

In fact, Carney and I took  Lilly and Callie to the pool for about 45 minutes when I got home from work today.  She giggled and splashed the whole time.  


I'm glad L loves to be around the water - my parents have a pool and Dan's parents live at the beach, so we want her to like and be comfortable in the water.  We signed her up for a "mommy and me" swim class that starts in August.  She and her bestie Hadley will be taking their first swim lessons together at the Alexander Family YMCA (per the recommendation of a friend) starting next month.  I am so excited and can't wait to see how cute they are, but I surely hope the water is semi warm or I fear we won't make it through a single lesson.  Cuteness overload in the form of photos and videos to come!  In the mean time, here is a quick video I took of Dan and Lilly being silly in the water on Sunday.  As usual, please ignore the baby talk and squealing coming out of my mouth - so annoying, I know, but I can't help it.  I don't even realize I'm baby talking half the time!

Hope you've had a great Tuesday!  Lilly and I are excited to see Grandmommy and Pawpaw tomorrow - they're coming to stay for the rest of the week, yay!

Sarah

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Lilly and I (and Dan and Layla, too!) just wanted to take a second to wish Grandmommy (my Mom) the happiest of birthdays today.  I wanted to do a photo shoot, but L was less than amused by the idea...

...so I decided to make a "happy birthday" sign for her to hold (read: to sit beside or in front of her).  I should have known better.  What did I learn from this experience?  Not only are my homemade birthday signs beautiful, but they're also extraordinarily tasty:

It's the thought that counts, right?  

Anyway, Mom, we hope that you had a fantastic day and that the rest of the family spoiled you rotten and waited on you hand and foot.  You are the best mother and grandmother in the whole world!  If I am even half the Mom you are, Lilly will be the luckiest baby girl alive.  

Happy birthday, Mom.  We love you!

Sarah

Know how I know we chose the right caregiver?

Because Lilly LOVES her.  And she texts me photos like this:

Today, Dan and I got the following photo and it said, "OMG! Major diaper blowout.  L had to have a bath."

I felt kind of bad about this, because I knew a bad poop was coming.  Ever since we started solids, Lilly has only been pooping about once every 4-5 days, and she hadn't had a #2 since last Thursday when she had a major explosion at my MIL's house.  I kept thinking it would come in her sleep last night, because I could tell she was uncomfortable and trying to work something out before bed.  Unfortunately for Carney, she waited until today.  Carney told me that L was laying in the bouncy chair playing one minute - she never even heard a sound - and next thing she new their was nastiness everywhere and it was foul.  Poor things - both Lilly for enduring it and Carney for having to clean it up!  Been there, done that, know it sucks.  The next picture we got was the following, along with the caption, "All clean!"

Side note: seriously how cute is that robe?  Lilly doesn't have one but judging by the cuteness of that picture I'm pretty sure she needs one (Grandmommy, are you reading?).  :-)


It's almost the weekend, hooray!


Sarah

Baby Food!

Now that Lilly is starting on solids, I have been channeling my inner hippie and making my own baby food.  She is still only eating solids as a supplement in order to learn how to eat - that is, breast milk is still her primary source of nutrition.  I have read that "meals" come into play around the 9 month mark.


I decided to make my own food for several reasons.  I am not saying that there is one single thing wrong with food from a jar - I grew up on it, as most of us did, and I turned out fine.  I am also not saying that Lilly will never eat food from a jar.  She probably will.  There is something to be said, though, in my opinion, for knowing what is going into Lilly's food.  Making my own has, so far, been super easy.  It took Dan and I a little over an hour to make a TON of food. Additionally, due to the fact that we are not yet replacing meals with solids, she doesn't eat that much food in one sitting.  I have been freezing the food that I make in ice cube trays, which is just about the exact amount that she eats at one time. If cost is an issue, it's also cheaper.  :-)


I have used two resources so far, both of which were recommended by Lilly's pediatrician.  The first is the Baby Love Cookbook:

Y'all.  I LOVE this cookbook.  It is super informative and SO EASY.  It is organized into stages and has tons of helpful information on buying produce, what to freeze and not to freeze, what you can feed baby when, and much, much more.  I got my copy on Amazon and it wasn't very expensive.


The other resource I've been using, per the pediatrician's recommendation, is the Wholesome Baby Food website.  The recipes on this website are similar to the ones in the book, but there is a TON of helpful information on the website.  For example, it goes into a great bit of detail about when to feed what (stages), how to store, food allergies, etc.  Both have been super helpful!


The one thing our pediatrician told us to definitely buy instead of make is rice cereal and oatmeal.  I can't remember why she said to buy those, I think it had something to do with the fact that she wanted us to get the iron-fortified stuff, but I've just bought both per her instructions.  It's just as well because Lilly hates them both, ha!


So far, Lilly has eaten rice cereal (hates), oatmeal (hates), bananas, avocados, pears, butternut squash and sweet potatoes.  For right now, we feed her solids once a day, after her last "big" feeding of the day (before bath and bed).  Once I've introduced a few more things (up next: carrots, peas, apples and peaches), I'm going to move to twice a day and let her have a fruit in the  morning and a veggie at night.  Exciting stuff!  L has really gotten the hang of eating.  She opens her mouth when you get near it with a spoon like it's her job, and sometimes she gets mad if she likes something and I'm not feeding her fast enough.  I can always tell whether she likes something based on the faces she makes and whether or not she spits it out.


Here are some photos I took of the prep work and finished products when we made butternut squash, sweet potatoes and pears to freeze:

Pears!

Butternut squash and sweet potatoes.

Butternut squash and sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes.

LG LOVES to eat (clearly):  

In closing, on the off chance that anyone else is interested in making their own baby food, I thought I'd share a few tips that I found helpful:

• If you have a food processor or blender, there is no need to buy any baby food making gadget (read: Baby Bullet or others like it) unless you just really want to.  They are just smaller food processors, so why spend the money?
• Ditto on food storage.  There are plenty of fancy storage containers with lids that you can spend money on.  In fact, I knew I wanted to make some baby food so we registered for these, and I'm glad we didn't get them.  Both the book and the website suggest freezing in ice cube trays and then putting the food cubes in ziploc bags labeled with the date.  It is super easy and takes up a lot less room.
• Everything I've read says not to freeze avocado, but I couldn't help but feel wasteful because Lilly eats less than 1/8th of an avocado in one sitting and they don't keep for very long.  They're not super expensive, but it still sucks having to throw basically a whole avocado away.  I have found that they will keep in the refrigerator for a few days if you leave the pit in tact.  Additionally,  Stephanie told me that if you slice an avocado into thin slices, lay them on wax paper, freeze overnight and then put in a ziploc (much like your baby food cubes), they will come out fine.  I have yet to try it, but plan to next time I have an avocado.  She said if there is any brown when she's taken hers out of the freezer, it's been very little and she just cut it right off.

I guess that's all for tonight.  I can't believe it's already Hump Day...where are my weeks going?!

Sarah