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Monday, August 27, 2012

7 Months Old: the Stats!


Lordy, it has been a busy few weeks.  I wanted to get Lilly's 7-month stats down before I get too lazy busy, and these are always long so here goes.

Weight/Length:  You didn't really think I was going to know this, did you?  I know, I know.  I should leave it off.  I have good intentions when it comes to weighing/measuring...it's just that I never really think about it until I start writing these posts and Lilly is already asleep.  Sigh.  I may as well just leave it for when we have doctor appointments and I actually do know them.  :-)

Sleep: Lilly is still sleeping like an angel.  On average, we get 11-12 hours/night and two 2-3 hour naps each day.  Sometimes we get a little more (when we went to the mountains for vacation we were getting 13 or 14 hours/night - she must love that mountain air like Mommy and Daddy do!) and sometimes we get a little less, but it never seems to throw her (knock on wood).  Case in point: we took a last-minute trip to Chicago over the weekend for a funeral, and between traveling, services, family time, etc. L was not in her normal "routine."  I should clarify here that we are not on a strict routine per se, but she does typically wake up and go to bed around the same time, and she also is typically ready for naps around the same time on a day to day basis.  I am not strict about putting Lilly down for her naps at the exact same time every day - I take cues from her on when she's tired - but it is generally around the same time every day, give or take 30 minutes to an hour.  If she goes down a little earlier or later than normal, it's not a big deal and hasn't affected bed time yet - the only thing I'm strict about is no sleeping after 4pm.  Anyway, the point is, over the weekend Lilly went to bed late, woke up a little early, and never really did have a good nap of normal length, but it didn't appear to affect her all that much.  The fact that she was able to be flexible made the trip a breeze, and I am so thankful for that because it was such a hard weekend for all of us.  Thank you Lord for an easy, flexible child who is a great sleeper!  In related news, the weekend travels must have really worn L out because around 5:30 this evening she had a total and complete meltdown.  This doesn't happen often, so I was in the process of trying to figure out what was wrong (I've been worried about her ears because she's been tugging on them some today) when this happened:


As 5:30 is ENTIRELY too early for bed time and I don't feel like waking up at 4 am tomorrow, I let her rest on my chest (and cherished every second - doesn't happen often!) for about 20 minutes before waking her tooshie up to eat and get a bath.  Sheesh!

Feeding:  We are still primarily nursing, but Lilly is starting to eat more and more solid food.  Lilly's doctor told us at her 6-month appointment that L would let us know when she was ready to move to three "meals" of solids per day, and I think we are quickly approaching that time.  Right now, she still gets fruit (normally two) with oatmeal in the morning and vegetables (again, normally two) with rice cereal.  She normally eats four cubes in a sitting (fatty!).  I've started googling fun recipes to introduce meat, but so far she hasn't tried any yet.  We've tried several new fruits and veggies, though, since the last "update" post.  Lilly still prefers sweet foods over anything else.  She still does not love anything green, but I think I've figured out that it's more of a texture aversion than a taste aversion.  I've been making her baby food, and for whatever reason the green stuff just normally doesn't puree as smoothly as the other food - broccoli, for example, when pureed is smooth but more grainy than, say, a sweet potato.  The reason I think it's texture that she's opposed to is because when we traveled over the weekend, I bought food instead of dealing with flying with it, and she ate the green vegetables that I purchased without incident (unlike at home, when on a good day I can sing songs and act crazy to distract her and in the mean time trick her into eating the green stuff).  They were mixed with some different foods, so maybe I will try that the next time I make batches of baby food as well.  The new foods Lilly has tried since the last post are: broccoli, green beans, blueberries, mango (she LOVES them), edamame.  I felt like there were more, but if so I can't remember off the top of my head.  In regards to nursing, the time between feedings is starting to vary a little - she is going for longer stretches between feedings.  She nurses when she wakes up (between 7-8 am usually), and I normally feed her solids within an hour of her nursing.  She hasn't been nursing again after that first feeding until well after her first nap, so sometime between 12-1 (prior to the past few weeks, she'd been nursing every 3 hours on the dot, so this is a big change).  After that first stretch, she normally nurses again after every 3-4 hours until the next solid feeding sometime before bed.

Firsts This Month:  Lots of these.  Lilly attended her first wedding (Aunt Katy and Uncle Josh's!) ex utero shortly after the last monthly update (did I write about that in the last post?  It was so close, I can't remember).  She also had her first trip to the mountains and her first swim lesson (with her bestie, Hadley!).  Her first plane ride occurred over the weekend.  

Quick plane ride update for those of you who have been asking: she was amazing, both on the plane and throughout the weekend.  Both on the flight to Chicago as well as the return flight, she was happy and giggly and very intrigued by all of her surroundings (so nosey!).  She also napped for about half of both flights, which was a huge bonus.  We had flight attendants and fellow passengers on both flights tell us how wonderful she was, that they normally worry when they see a small child but that she was awesome (we think so, too!).  If the pressure in her ears during takeoff/landing bothered her at all, she didn't let on.  To try to combat it on all of our flights, she nursed some, sucked her thumb some, and also I made her a bottle with water and just a splash of apple juice (since she doesn't love the taste of water by itself), and I guess something out of all of that did the trick.  One funny: remember how I bought her new toys to keep her entertained?  Yeah, didn't need to spend the money because the child was enthralled with the seat-back tray tables (is that what they're called?  the trays that fold down on the back of the seat in front of you?).  Seriously, they weren't even folded down and she was for whatever reason obsessed with them.  She kept touching them and giggling.  It was hilarious.  She also enjoyed looking out the window.  Still no sign of the first tooth!

Friday morning waiting to board the plane, after eating solids Mommy took to the airport.  Hamming it up and flirting with our fellow passengers - and playing with her new toy!

Being silly with Daddy prior to boarding.

Airport travel: baby strapped in front in the k'tan, GoCrib strapped to the back, diaper bag in one hand pulling the suitcase with the other (Dan had the cooler with breast milk, the other suitcase, and the car seat in the handy dandy car seat carrier strapped to his back).

Looking out the window, ready for takeoff!

Let's get this show on the road, people.

Developments: About a week after my last post, Lilly started sitting up on her own like a champ.  I'm not sure whether ab muscles can develop that quickly or whether it was just a matter of her being nosey and figuring out that she can see a lot more, but she's been sitting up on her own ever since and loves to play that way.  She has started doing this scooting thing, but only when she's laying on her tummy and she only goes backwards. She still pushes up but no signs of crawling just yet.  She also just today started pulling herself up to a standing position.  Luckily, she hasn't yet figured out that she can use objects to do this - she only does it when I hold out my fingers.  She also likes to be "standing up" (with help) and looking around.  Lilly is getting more and more vocal, and has been mimicking the sounds we make for a while now but has been doing it even more so as of late.  Her favorite sounds to make are giggles and laughs, squeals, mama, dada, lala, baba (pronounced like it rhymes with mama), and this terrible squawking sound that we have taken to calling the "baby pterodactyl noise."  Note: I don't think she associates me with mama or Dan with dada yet, but she loves to say both.

Likes: I don't think there have been many changes since last month's post.  She still loves being outside , eating and swimming more than just about anything else.  Layla.  Bath time.  Snuggling.  Giggling.  Talking/cooing.  Reading books.  Nap time/sleeping in general.  Sucking her thumb (especially when sleepy).  Music - she LOVES to sing songs, the sillier the better (Daddy's specialty).  Laughing.  Rolling around and scooting.  Being naked.  Being silly with Daddy.  She still loves the jumperoo and door jumper.  She also LOVES trips to the grocery store.  And the airport - I had her in the baby k'tan with the GoCrib strapped to my back and pulling a suitcase for our travel over the weekend (see photo above), and she squealed, giggled and squawked her way through the airports.  She loves to people watch!

Dislikes: Again, the green veggies and rice cereal/oatmeal (when not hidden in fruits/veggies) are not her favorite.  Also, contrary to what I said last month, she still hates cold water - total meltdown and refusal to participate in the last swim lesson.  I guess it just depends on the degree of cold because we've taken her swimming quite a few times when the water was cold in our neighborhood pool and she's been okay.  Maybe because it's outside and there's more to distract her from the temperature?  I got her a swim shirt which seemed to help when we took her swimming yesterday and the water was cold, but the Y pool is cold on a whole new level so we'll see how it goes on Wednesday.  She's still decidedly not a fan of boredom or being ignored when she wants something. 

About to test out the new swim shirt

What I'm Thankful For:  I know I say it all of the time, but after this weekend more than ever I am thankful for a good baby.  She is so flexible, which in turn has taught me to go with the flow and not get all bent out of shape if every little thing doesn't go exactly like I planned it in my head.  I am not trying to brag, I am just so proud of how well she did over the weekend given the circumstances - she did so much better than I ever even hoped.  Love that little chunk monster!  

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Mommy and Daddy's first vacation sans baby for Sheila's wedding weekend in California!  This one is a little bittersweet, because I am excited to spend some time away with Dan but at the same time I'm dreading leaving Lilly.  I know it will be good for all of us and that she will be in great hands with Grandmommy and PawPaw, and I'm so looking forward to celebrating with Sheila and Casey on their big day, but it's always hard to leave Lilly.  Also spending this upcoming weekend at home for once!  We've been on the go lately and I am utterly exhausted.  
Oh, and Appalachian State and Panthers football.

Next Pediatrician Appointment: Not until 9 months old, so sometime around October 24.

How Mommy's Doing:  I'm going to take this one off, because it always turns into "I am fat and I hate it."  Ha!
 
Oy, this one was even longer than normal posts, but I wanted to make sure to get everything in since this is Lilly's baby book!  Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that your week is off to a great start.

Sarah

Friday, August 24, 2012

7 Months Old

I don't have time for a long post today, but wanted a quick one to wish our sweet girl a happy 7-month birthday!  I know I say it every month, but I can't believe I already have a 7-month old.  I don't know where the time goes.

We are running around like crazy trying to get everything to go for our trip, so I will save the post with Lilly's 7 month stats for next week (let's be honest - I won't know the important facts like weight or length anyway, ha!).  Until then, sweet girl, I hope you know that you have given us a joy that we never could have imagined for the past 7 months.  We love you so much and can't wait to continue to watch you grow (but if you could slow down a little, that would be great - you're getting so big so quickly!).  Mommy and Daddy love you more than we could ever possibly tell you.  Happy 7 months, sweet Lilly bean!






Sarah

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Baby's First Plane Ride

Well hello, blog.  I have neglected you, yet again.  We spent last week in the mountains outside of Boone, NC (post and pictures to come at a later date, hopefully).  It was glorious and we didn't want to leave!  I took full advantage of rest and relaxation while we were there, and outside of the few days that I worked, didn't mess with my computer.  We're back now, but are about to hit the road again in a few days.

I wish it were under better circumstances, but due to a tragic and very unexpected death in the family, we are going to be traveling this weekend.  Lilly bean will be tagging along, and it's the first time she'll have been on a plane.  Needless to say, I have already started worrying.  I've done some research online (shocker, right?) and consulted with some girlfriends who are "traveling with baby" pros for answers to all of my one million and one questions.  

I am not too worried about Lilly - I think that she will probably be fine.  I guess I probably shouldn't write that on the blog and jinx it.  I have been on planes where kids were melting down, and while I knew they couldn't help it and truly felt bad for the parents, it did not make for a pleasant flight.  Of course I don't want to be "the girl with the screaming kid," so let's hope L cooperates.  I am currently more stressed about logistics, though, than behavior.

I've come up with a list of tips (from various websites and girlfriends) that I gather will be good advice for our first experience with airplane travel.  Here they are, for your reading pleasure:

  • I've read and been told that I should either plan to nurse or give Lilly a bottle (or something else for her to suck on - too bad she's not amused by the paci!) during takeoff and landing in an effort to try to prevent her ears from hurting.
  • I decided to order a couple of new toys that L has never seen before specifically for the flight in hopes that she'll be fascinated into (quietly) behaving on the plane.
  • I did a lot of research (and internal debate) on whether to take our car seat and base from home or try to rent one.  I was originally hesitant to take ours, because although it can be gate checked for free, I didn't want it to get beat up slash ruined under the plane.  Car seats and bases are expensive, and we plan to use ours for future Baum babies.  On the other hand, it also would have been nice to be able to rent one instead of lugging ours around the airport and dealing with checking it, etc.  The general consensus on this from all parties was that it's definitely better to take your own.  Not only do I not want to chance something happening to where there isn't actually a car seat to rent and I have to find a store to buy one once we arrive (read quite a few horror stories about that), but you can also never really be sure what you'll get (read even more horror stories about that).  So, it's settled: we will will gate check our car seat.
  • In order to avoid aforementioned ruining of car seat, I ordered a car seat travel bag.  This one had great reviews, and, thanks to Amazon Prime, will be here before we leave.  Score.  Also?  It's a back pack and therefore easy to carry.  Double score.
  • I have familiarized myself with the TSA policy on transporting breast milk (I have to pump at least once/day - first thing in the morning - to combat oversupply issues.  If I am pumping anyway, I may as well keep it and bring it back!).  It has been recommended by more than one person that I print out this policy and have it on hand in case I am questioned, as the policy has changed several times since 9/11.
  • TSA recommends that you only travel with the amount of food/breast milk you'll need for the actual flight.  While it is possible to check (or carry on) a cooler with spare breast milk and baby food that I've already made (both freezers are full of it!), I am opting to just buy baby food once we reach our destination.  I figure with the amount of stuff we're going to have to take, it will be one less thing to worry about.  And let's be honest, a little jar/pouch food never hurt anyone!
  • On that same token, I've decided to take only the diapers that I need for the flight and just buy a small pack when we arrive (have to go to the store for baby food anyway).  As I mentioned above, I just think it will be easier than trying to find room in suitcases.
  • We've decided not to take our nice stroller so that it doesn't get destroyed under the plane - again, future Baum babies will use it.  We haven't purchased an umbrella stroller, because frankly we haven't needed it - we either use our regular stroller or wear Lilly in the baby k'tan when we go places.  We're not sure whether it's worth it to purchase an umbrella stroller since we aren't sure how much use we'd get out of it, so we're going to take the snap 'n go instead.  Have you seen these things?  They are awesome - and the same concept as our stroller.  The infant seat just snaps directly into it.  We were fortunate to be able to borrow one of these (thanks Lindsey!) before we had Lilly.  The only downside is that these days she prefers the umbrella stroller-style seating arrangement (sitting up instead of reclining in the infant seat), but she can deal with it for a weekend.
  • I will make sure to have the following in my carry-on (along with the usual diapers, wipes, etc.): 
    • an extra outfit for both Lilly and myself in case something happens mid-flight
    • aforementioned new toys for distracting
    • nursing cover (or bottle[s] if I decide that I am not comfortable enough to nurse in public/on the plane)
    • blanket (and socks) for L in case the plane is chilly
    • lovie in case L decides to be an angel and nap for the whole flight (one can dream!)
    • plastic bags to store diapers and/or clothes in, in case of an emergency
I think that's the extent of what I've come up with so far.  Are there any mommies out there who see something big that I missed or haven't thought of?  Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated.  Fingers crossed that L is her normal happy self and is far less phased by the process than Mommy is!

Sarah 

Thursday, August 9, 2012

My Big Girl

Lilly has been working on sitting up for a few weeks now, but hasn't been able to master doing so for more than a few seconds at a time...until this week.  I guess it was actually at the end of last week, when all of a sudden she just got better at it, and she has continued to improve every day.  I now feel comfortable enough to walk away for short periods of time and leave her sitting up, playing with her toys.  Although, I will say that she has also somehow mastered turning onto her stomach mid-fall when she tips over, so that she doesn't hit her head.  When did my little baby turn into a big girl?




I think that once Lilly truly gets the hang of sitting, she'll want to play like that all of the time.  Currently, she is OK sitting up but is just as happy laying down (she loves to roll all over the place, my little roly poly, and prefers her stomach to her back for the most part).  I guess I should cherish that while it's still happening, yes?  Sitting up like a big girl means we're one step closer to being into everything (she has enough of Daddy's personality already that I know we are in for it!).  I was telling Steph earlier, on one hand I am so excited and happy that she is growing up, learning and changing (by the minute it seems!) before my eyes.  On the other hand, part of me is sad that she's not my little baby anymore.  I guess that's what being a parent is all about, though, yes?





Happy Friday, and thanks to Great Uncle Eddie for Lilly's Kings Point onesie!

Sarah

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

First Swim Lesson!


Tonight, Lilly and Hadley had their first swim lesson at the YMCA.  Steph and I signed the girls up for a "mommy daddy and me" class a few weeks ago, and we've been both excited and nervous about swim lessons ever since.  We both said prior to today that as long as the water wasn't cold and the girls weren't screaming the whole time/non-cooperative, that we'd feel like it was a success.

The class was pretty much what we thought it would be: there was a lot of singing, silliness and just generally getting the kids acclimated to the water.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, we take Lilly to the pool as many times as we can per week because she loves it, so I wasn't too worried about her being in the water - I was more worried about the water temperature (L doesn't like to be cold!) and her temperament (the class ran awfully close to our bedtime routine).  Turns out we had reason to be worried about the water temperature - it was cold.  

Both girls did great despite shorter naps than usual this afternoon (poor H had to be woken up from hers!).  Sweet Hadley did not shed a single tear the entire time!  Lilly did wonderfully as well for about 85% of the lesson.  Towards the end, she decided that she was over being cold, and there were tears followed by a slight meltdown.  We were able to distract her for a few minutes, but right before the end of the lesson she had had enough and we went ahead and took her out of the pool.  When I took her from Dan, she was just shivering and whimpering and pitiful.  Not to worry, though - as soon as we got her into some dry clothes and she warmed back up, she was all smiles again.  She laughed, talked, cooed, giggled and squealed the entire way home.  I think we may invest in some sort of full body suit for the next lesson.  Does anyone have any experience with those?  Or other suggestions of ways to keep L warmer in the water?

I haven't had time to go through all of the 283947239847 photos that I took - I made several batches of baby food tonight and am too beat to deal with it (besides, I think Steph's are going to be much better because she is a fabulous photog!).  However, I did snag a few with my iPhone to tide you over until I can sort through the photos from my camera to see whether I got any good ones:

Besties and babies before the swim lesson started

Getting ready to get in the pool

The girls and their daddies

Post-meltdown happiness

I'm much warmer now, Mom!

That's all for me - I'm exhausted!  Happy Hump Day!


Sarah

Monday, August 6, 2012

Mom's Weekend Away

This past weekend marked an important milestone for all of us: my first weekend away!  I have been away from Lilly for a night before (twice), but no more than 8-10ish hours.  I was looking forward to the weekend, because the purpose of my trip was to celebrate Sheila.  It was also a good warm up for her wedding next month, which will be the first time Dan and will both be leaving Lilly for a long weekend (4 days).  Eek!

Dan came home from work on Friday around 2:00, just in time for L's afternoon nap, and the two of them headed to the beach to spend the weekend with Grandma Susie and Papa (nap time in the car so as to avoid a bored infant is ideal).  I know they were both excited to get to spend some time with Dan's parents, and I'm sure Dan appreciated the help (L had a few good nights in a row at the end of last week, but the teething monster reappeared in full force and made it a rough night for Dan and our little bean on Saturday night!).  Mommy was not quite as excited for them to leave - in fact, I cried when I had to say goodbye.  I put in a few more hours of work before heading to Charleston for the weekend.

I am happy to report that all went well.  I had a great time celebrating with Sheila and all of her closest friends and family:

Charleston as seen from the Market Pavilion Rooftop Bar

The beautiful bride to be in the awesome sunglasses we were all given!  Seriously, check them out - I've gotten tons of compliments.  I love them!

Dan and Lilly had a wonderful weekend with the grandparents as well.  Dan didn't get annoyed with me when I called to check in no less than 4 times between 2pm on Friday when they left and 7:30 pm when Lilly went to bed.  He also sent me lots of photo updates of the weekend's activities:

Sweet girl woke up with lots of smiles for Daddy, Grandma & Papa

They took a trip to the North Carolina Aquarium on Saturday and Lilly LOVED watching all of the fish!  Dan said she was enthralled and got very serious whenever anything swam by.

Dan's idea of hilarity at the aquarium
Lots of snuggles from Papa and Grandma!

More snuggles from the grandparents

My sweet, serious girl

My "Good Morning Mommy" text on Sunday
It was a good weekend for everyone.  I'm sure my trip away was good for all of us, and even though I missed Dan, Layla and Lilly terribly, I must admit that it was nice to relax and have some time to myself, and I had a wonderful time.  BUT, I sure did miss this face...



I told Dan that I swear she grew two feet while I was gone!  It was good to be able to ease into our upcoming wedding travels and time away from Lilly.  This time, she stayed with Daddy and all went well, so it made me less anxious for what's to come.  Over the next few months, she'll get to spend lots of time with both sets of grandparents - she'll be in excellent hands.  I know she's looking forward to it...and I'm sure I'll have a lot of un-spoiling to do upon our returns.  :-)

Random unrelated thought:  Please read Steph's post about hair bows.  If there was any way for you to begin to fathom how many times I've gotten the same questions, you'd laugh as hard as I did when you read it.

Hope your transition back into the work week wasn't too terrible!

Sarah

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Teething

There has been some serious teething happening in the Baum household.  I'm talking, wake-my-child-who-has-slept-through-the-night-since-6-weeks-old up at night teething.  It is horrid.  Truly, I think this is the hardest thing we've had to deal with so far (I know, she's made it pretty easy on us and I shouldn't complain, but I just hate it when she doesn't feel well!).  Lilly is chewing on everything in sight, drooling buckets, and some days is just pitiful in general as a result.  I know the teeth are there, I can see the white underneath her gums (I wanted to get a picture, but it is hard enough for me to even get a look at it, forget trying to get a picture of it) and I can feel how hard her gums are - I am just waiting for the little suckers to break through.  Unfortunately for us, the good doctor said that the fact that we can see and feel them means absolutely nothing - they could break through in days, weeks or months (please Lord not months, I beg you).


As usual, I've done some research on the matter, and between my research and discussions with Steph and Jen, I think I've come up with a  pretty good list of teething necessities to share.  So, Moms who are going through this or will soon (or really anyone who cares), here's my list of must-haves:



1.  Infant Tylenol AND Infant Advil.  I don't think they actually make Tylenol anymore - there was a recall earlier in the year - but any infant acetaminophen will do.  You need to have both on hand because on bad days, while you can only give your child each medicine every 4 hours, you can actually alternate them every 2 (i.e. Tylenol at 8, Advil at 10, Tylenol at 12, Advil at 2, etc.).  I don't do this with Lilly every day, but if there are days (or nights) where she is just miserable this seems to help, especially when she's running a low grade fever due to aforementioned un-sprouted teeth.  Make sure you check with your pediatrician on dosage, especially for the Infant Tylenol if you have it (confusing dosage complaints were the source of the voluntary recall).




Do yourself a favor and GET SOME.  Steph originally told me about these, and right after she did several other girlfriends recommended them as well.  Hyland's' makes homeopathic remedies, and these things are seriously miraculous - they work almost immediately.  As I said before, Lilly has been waking up some in the middle of the night.  I normally let her fuss for a few minutes because sometimes she'll put herself back to sleep, but other times I can tell her mouth is hurting because she will start gnawing on her hands and crying.  A lot of times, I was getting her up and giving her Tylenol or Advil and then letting her nurse to help soothe her and put her back to sleep.  However, after this happened for several nights in a row, I worried that she was going to get used to me letting her nurse in the middle of the night and think it was OK.  The next time it happened, I went into her room, never picked her up - just flipped her from her stomach to her back, gave her Tylenol and Hyland's teething tablets and she immediately stopped crying, rolled back over and was back asleep in less than 5 minutes.  To say it was amazing is an understatement.  You can find Hyland's at your nearest drug store.

3.  We also have the Hyland's Baby Teething Gel, but we haven't had to use it yet since the tablets have done the trick thus far.


While I'm on the subject of teething gel, I should probably mention that we threw out all of our infant Orajel.  You can read about the facts behind our decision here (and here if you want it in plain English).  This is obviously a personal choice for each family, but in the interest of full disclosure I thought I'd mention it.

4.  Amber teething necklace.  



This is the one we bought for L, per Steph's recommendation.  Allegedly, the amber helps ease the pain of teething.  Steph and I both asked our pediatricians about this, and the answer was pretty much the same: they can't speak to the science behind it, but they see enough mothers that swear by these things that it couldn't hurt to try.  So try, we will!  We just got ours in the mail yesterday, but I'll report back on whether I notice a difference.  Here are a few pics I snagged of Lilly Bean modeling hers today (I realize that her socks don't match her outfit, Daddy dressed her this morning - ha!):  





Lilly really didn't even notice the necklace, just went about her normal business.  Remember to take these off, though, for sleeping.

This is another homeopathic remedy that was recommended by Jen, for use in conjunction with the Hyland's tablets - they are drops.  We haven't used these yet, because we've had a few good days in a row since the weekend and haven't needed much of anything, but I have them on hand and will try them if/when needed.

We LOVE these and use them often.  Lilly loves the feel of something cold on her gums, but she doesn't really love the frozen teethers and teething rings because they make her hands cold, so unless I hold them for her, she's not really interested.  The mesh feeders are perfect because the bottom part is easy for her to hold (and it isn't cold).  A lot of people put ice cubes in these.  I've been cutting up some of the frozen fruit cubes I have stored and putting those in there, or her new favorite, frozen blueberries:


I put blueberries in at the recommendation of Dr. V, and am so glad I did.  Lilly LOVES them and they are far less messy than pears/peaches/apples/etc.

I think that's about it for my must-haves.  In terms of teething toys, I'm sure it varies by child, but the ones that Lilly can't get enough of are:

Sophie the giraffe
When I was pregnant, someone once likened sophie to "crack for babies" and said we HAD to have her.  Whoever told me that was not kidding!  We have both the teether shown above as well as the full-size version of Sophie, which squeaks, but L seems to like gnawing on the one pictured above best.

Infantino strawberry teether
L likes the strawberry teether because it vibrates when she bites down (also comes in the shape of a grape, if you prefer).

baby banana bendable training toothbrush
I guess it's good that she likes this one, we're teaching good oral health while relieving teething pain, yes?  :-)

Lilly really will chew on anything she can get her hands on - the ottoman, clothes, my hair if she can get hold of it - I think she just gets relief from chewing, but the toys shown above seem to be her favorites.

I think that's it on the teething front for now.  Do any of my Mommy friends have suggestions for anything that I should add to my must-have list that I've left off or that I don't know about?  Suggestions are always appreciated!

Sarah

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Miscellaneous

In this episode of "things you should never say to your wife," I present to you a legitimate conversation that occurred in the Baum household this very evening:


Sarah: Remember that one time when you didn't listen to me and you missed out on something important?  Because that happens at LEAST daily.
Dan:  I do listen to you.
Sarah: No you don't.  I can give you some examples.
Dan: It's just that you talk a lot.
Sarah: ...(no words)...
Dan: I didn't mean that in a mean way, it's just that you're very chatty.
Sarah: That doesn't mean you don't have to listen to me. 
Dan: It's not that I don't listen, it's more like I listen to the first four or five words and then make a judgment call on whether the rest is going to be important.
Sarah: ...still no words because I can't believe that he actually admitted to this out loud...keep digging that hole, Prince Danny!


He went on to tell me that he normally listens to me when I'm talking about things that pertain to Lilly, and I was quick to give examples of how that is not true. I'm pretty sure he should have stopped at, "I do listen to you."  :-)


Anyway, the purpose of this post is to share a few cute pictures that I've taken this week, but they didn't really fall into any particular category.  So without further ado, behold the cuteness and enjoy!


OK, so this first picture isn't really "cute," but I wanted the world to see how my child sleeps.  It's a wonder I ever get any sleep because even though I know she has excellent head control, how is it possible that she doesn't suffocate?  She seriously sleeps face down.  Is she trying to give me panic attacks?!



I am afraid to let L play on the bed any more for the most part when I'm getting ready because she is on the move, so this is a picture of her playing on the floor the other morning while I was getting ready for work.  Seriously?  It's a wonder I ever even make it out the door.  That face!


Our good friend the piano gym which I have raved about quite a few times before.  Lilly LOVES this thing, and I love that she can grow with it (thanks to the Mauldin/Abreu family for one of her favorite toys!).  Future concert pianist?  So serious about it!


In this one I had just had to wake her up from a nap, so she wasn't quite awake yet and therefore I couldn't get a good smile, but the outfit is so cute that I couldn't resist!


Remember when the pediatrician told us it was OK to give Lilly water?  This is the face we get when we try.  Apparently water is not nearly as delicious as breast milk?


Lilly still LOVES to swim.  In fact we've noticed that she doesn't fuss as much anymore when we put on sunscreen or her swimsuit - I think it's because she knows what's coming (this is not to say she never fusses in these situations, just not as much as she used to and sometimes not at all).  We go to the pool whenever we can - even on week days before dinner/bath/bed if there's time!  Now if only we could get rid of these evening storms that have been prohibiting pool time (or cutting it short) for the past few days...


Lately Dan has started putting Lilly on his shoulders (in general, not just at the pool).  She LOVES it.  She spends the whole time cackling or trying to eat his hair:




That's all for tonight...I'm off to watch some more of the Olympics until I can't keep my eyes open!  I am such a sucker for the Olympics.  I think I have cried more this week watching the winners and their parents than I did when I was pregnant.  Okay, maybe not.  ;-)


Happy hump day!


Sarah

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