porky
September 23, 2009
TODAY I USED THE WORD PORKY when talking to wren’s pediatrician about her weight. i actually used that word. porky. i’m not sure if i’ve ever used that word in a serious context before — i swear i’m not THAT kind of mother.
she said wren is fine and gaining weight perfectly {she commended me}. high five!
month six
August 31, 2009
EVERYONE SAYS THAT MONTH SIX IS MAGICAL it was! it really was. virtually overnight this huge personality exploded from this little baby girl – laughing, squealing, babbling, cooing, interacting more than ever before. she even said her first word ‘keee’ {kitty}. her obsession with the cat is growing, along with anything else on four legs. whenever belle would come into the room we’d point her out and say ‘kitty’. even though she hasn’t said mama or dada, she’d search for one of us if we asked her ‘where’s mamma/dadda’. one evening tommy sat on the bed and i stood in the doorway talking to him while holding wren. the cat came into the room, jumped on the bed and wren popped out a loud ‘keee!’. we just sort of looked at one another and i think i said ‘did that really happen?’, our same reaction when she had her first hysterical laugh. developmental milestones don’t seem like such a big deal when you hear other people talk about their kids, but once you experience it yourself with your own little one, it’s the most amazing *floating in air* feeling.
eating solids is her new part-time job {and feeding her is practically my full-time job}. checked off the list of first foods, she loved everything: carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, squash of every kind, apples, bananas, avocados, peaches, and pears. the one and only bummer to the month was finding out during her six month check-up that she hadn’t gained any weight in two months and that she dropped from 25th to the 3rd percentile. up until this point she was exclusively breastfed with the exception of rice cereal. so one of two things had happened, either my milk supply dropped for some unknown reason or she started to wean herself and i hadn’t noticed, causing my supply to diminish. we started supplementing with formula and a follow-up appointment a month later showed that she gained 3 pounds, back on track. so now, not only am i still breastfeeding but also supplementing with formula AND feeding solids. was i ever so confused trying to figure out this new feeding schedule, and the new nap schedule because of the new feeding schedule, and when to leave the house in between it all {do i pack a bottle, and a jar of baby food, spoon, bib, the nursing cover, oy!?}. it took a month to get the hang of it, and yes it is a lot of work but it’s for the best.
a few other highlights from the month: she can sit up for longer periods of time before collapsing head first from exhaustion, still hates tummy time, no tooth yet but lots of biting, drooling and gummy puffiness. loves to give us hugs {by grabbing our neck} and kisses {by sucking on our cheek or neck}.
half of her first year is over. my goodness. it’s gone. time stood still those first weeks with her, but now we can’t slow it down and our time with her feels like water in our hands slipping between our fingers. every moment counts. we love her so much *happy sigh*
still in progress :: the nursery
August 17, 2009
LATELY WHEN I’VE CHECKED IN ON WREN first thing in the morning she’s been quietly watching the light on the wall. i’ve been meaning to buy her this mobile and paint something on her wall for months, and have been putting it off for no good reason. now that she’s been actively staring at a blank wall, it’s time. since we live in earthquake country hanging pictures is not an option, instead a few birds in flight seemed fitting. not sure yet what type of bird, wrens would be cute but predictable, maybe? how about a few house finches, sparrows, or a great big barn owl swooping in on a little mouse…maybe not. the little monster {numpy} is not part of the plan, but thought it would be funny to see what he would look like peering over the crib. i’m really amused by him.
we ordered a glider for her room last week. i still can’t believe she’s six months and we’re just now getting one…well, i can believe it because she needed a crib before i needed a glider and she’s survived this long without the luxury of being rocked to sleep. i really don’t like the look of gliders but we got it on sale so i can’t complain. i would love to sew a cover for it, and i have a sewing machine, but don’t know how to sew other than a straight line. kind of a problem, but i’m determined to figure this out most likely with lots of help from knowledgeable family and friends.
midnight munchies
August 14, 2009
THE RECOVERY after having wren was hellacious. i didn’t have a c-section {i did beg for one though}, and i’ll spare details {cause really, who cares other than the lady who just found my site by googling ‘why isn’t my third degree tear healing yet?’} honest hand-over-heart truth though, labor was absolutely not *that* bad, neither was delivery. sure the recovery was nasty, but it didn’t kill me. i’ve shared that with friends who ask because years back when i asked questions, the only thing i heard were horror stories and a big excuse to complain about something that sucked. yeah, child birth and everything else after hurts, but it’s not the worst. there are many other things far more intense – losing a battle with cancer, losing a limb, losing a child, a spouse, faith, hope in life…losing my brother. that is pain. i didn’t lose anything though, i gained a daughter. my train of thought is getting all emotional on you. alright, all that to say, don’t be scared if you’re about to have a baby.
for two months i was on motrin around the clock. the obnoxious thing about motrin is having to take it with food — a picture: middle of the night, searching for food to take with my next dose while holding a screaming, hungry newborn who is trying to latch onto my neck. i took advantage of the gift basket the hospital gave to us full of snacks – truly, nourishment during those ungodly hours up nursing miss piranha. one particular night i was so hungry i couldn’t see straight, and fairly certain i foamed from the mouth a little. the last snack bag in the basket had m&ms, pretzels, cheese-its and goldfish. junk, horrible awful junk i would have never eaten by choice in a million years. but my gosh it was an emergency, and it turned into my paradise. so good, pure, it saved my life. overcome with joy while eating the salty sweet combo, but crying from the pain of nursing, life was good again. and an added bonus i remember turning on mtv to find fantasy factory reruns. 2am, every morning, rob dyrdek, meaty, wren, me, and midnight munchies. good times.
anyway, i made the same mix for a friend who just had her fourth child. 100% processed, delightful goodness.
month five
July 31, 2009
A LATE RECAP OF MONTH FIVE even though we’re well into wren’s sixth month…sitting up {with a little help} for long periods of time, and rolling over were both big achievement for wren. she had the biggest look of astonishment when she rolled onto her tummy while playing. the excitement quickly came to an end once her arms got caught underneath her body. she’s since given up altogether on rolling over. her take on the situation: ‘why bother? it sucks. so leave me alone, k?’ i really don’t blame her. she also went up a size in diapers which translates to fewer diapers in a package and more money spent at target {finger whirling in the air woop-dee-doo}. tried carrots for the first time, homemade carrots, which come to find out is a no-no because of high levels of nitrates that can make her sick, oops. but she loved them and we’re on jarred carrots until further notice. used a sippy cup for the first time, handled it really well and drank out of it on her own. slept an average of 10 hrs. every night. got in her first fist fight with a kid a few doors down.
there you have it. month five, done and over with forever.
tummy trouble
July 26, 2009
LOOK WHAT I FOUND – a tummy sleeper. i was not expecting this when i checked in on her. up until a week ago she was able to flip from her belly to her back during ‘tummy time’. but now that she’s on her belly by her own doing, she can’t seem to get things going and gets ’stuck’. i’ve been having to rescue her in the morning and after every nap.
what was i doing on 7/8/09 @ 10:11:12?
July 8, 2009
sucking my toes. you?
photo was taken for a fun project set up by elizabeth kartchner. check out what other people did at the same time.
