Where have I been?

This will be a super-long post because it’s been forever and a day since I’ve posted.  It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say – I think about what I want to post constantly throughout the day – it’s just that for whatever reason when it’s just me and the kiddo I don’t get around to posting.  It’s like something I need to take care of but it nags at me and for whatever reason I don’t do it but once I do it feels better.  It seems like whenever I have a chance to get “out in the world” without the kiddo I get motivated for a bit when I come home so I’m trying to take advantage of my post-Pirate Meeting oomph and get some stuff done.

Pictures:  I’m working on getting them loaded and updated.  Be patient.  She’s getting so big that it’s crazy to think of how little she used to be. 

Right/Left Hand:  For a while she was really favoring her left hand (maybe because I’m right handed and hand her things on that side) but the last few days she’s been using her right hand more.  She’s really reaching for things lately too.  One of her favorite things to reach for:  Zeke.  If you haven’t seen her lately you’d be amazed at how much she’s changed!

Giraffe:  Above her changing table I put the sticker of the giraffe for her to look at – she really notices it lately and wants to stand up and reach for it (but it’s a sticker).  She’ll get all excited and talk and try to hit and grab it.  Good times.

Monster:  Purely as a term of affection, Sophie is our little “monster”.  You can preface it with just about anything:  Drool-Monster, Spit-Monster, Jumpy-Monster, you name it and she’s a monster.

Teeth:  Would you just get some already!!!  She’s a drool-monster to the nth and is chewing on things like crazy (watch your knuckles, she’s got a big bite!) and still no teeth.  Sometimes I think they hurt her when she’s trying to eat a bottle.

Hair:  Her hair is getting so long so fast.  It really makes her look like a big kid.

Talk:  Some days she’s more talkative than others, this is definitely not her strong point right now.  Sign language seems to be coming along, I’m convinced she does “mama”.  She has days with lots of spit bubbles (lots of fun while feeding)

Tray:  Had to put the tray up on the high chair.  Now she sits up straight and leans forward for her bites.  She really seems to be eating more the last few days.  So far, bananas are the only thing she didn’t like (wouldn’t eat more than a bit or so…and those were spit out).  Foods she likes:  applesauce, blueberries, peaches, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes. 

Rolling:  She had the front to back thing pretty well down (doing once a day or every other day for a week or so) and then … nothing.  BUT, now she rolls from back to front (constantly!).  I mean, you put her on her back and WHAM! she’s on her front.  Really gotta keep an eye on her on the changing table.  Why, you may ask, would she want to roll on her belly when she’s not even a big fan of tummy time?  Well, to crawl of course.  She’s got her mind set on learning to move, that’s all she wants to do on her belly and it frustrates the heck out of her that she can’t get anywhere.

Toes:  She’s found her toes and decided that they are delicious.  She’s not obsessed with them but she does like them on occasion.

Sleep:  Still sleeping through the night.  Could go for longer naps during the day (if she takes a long one, it is usually her first one, just an hour or so after she gets up) to make it easier for me to have a long stretch to get something done.

Jumper:  She uses the Rainforest Jumper and the Doorway Jumper and LOVES them.  She goes crazy jumping…when you take her out, all she wants to do is jump jump jump.  But, she unfortunately still wants someone to be right there watching her jump.  Hopefully she’ll become more of an independent player soon.

That’s pretty much it for Sophie, still need to get pictures up and some videos.

We’ve been pretty busy too.  Tom put in a well so we can water our yard without using city water.  He still needs to hook up the pump.  We’ll be at the County Park for the 4th of July and probably head down to Shmina’s for a bit too.  On Sunday, we’re leaving (EARLY!) for the U.P. to see Tahquamenon Falls, Pictured Rocks, Old Mining Village in Escanaba (Fayette or something), Grant and Bobbie’s place, and Kitch-Iti-Kipi Spring.  Should be a busy time.  We’re going down to a Tiger’s game on Friday and staying with Jamie and Keri.  It’ll be the first night that we’ll both have been away from Sophie.  Nana is going to come here and stay with her so hopefully it will help her stay in her routine.  I’m sure she’ll be fine but we’ll miss her for sure!

Rejuvenation

It’s interesting the signals that our bodies send and how we respond.  Just like I have to sit and figure out what Sophie wants (pretty much anything except what she’s currently doing!) I have to take the time to figure out what my body is telling me.  It seems that I’ve been dragging the last few days and really struggling to get out of bed in the morning but this morning was easier (though I am hitting an afternoon lull) and I think it has nothing to do with sleep.  See, last night I read a book for a couple of hours after I put Sophie to bed and I think that maybe what my body craved was just a little “me” time.  A bath and a book would have probably worked too, but I think my brain needed to hang out with itself (TV doesn’t count, my brain gets left out of that activity!)

Anyway, Sophie’s been off and on the last couple of days.  She spit up a ton yesterday (she did that a couple of weeks ago too) and has a little cough today.  No fever so my guess is it’s the saliva (she’s drooling by the bucket).  Looked up her little white dot (tooth?) on the internet (what better reliable source is there) and read that it could be a calcium deposit (unrelated to teething).  That would explain why it hasn’t progressed. 

She can be a stinker but her smile when she wakes up from a nap is to die for!

Things I know…

So, take what you will from this post but here are a few things I know that work for me and my Sophie.  I know everybody and everybaby is different, but I always liked to look at all the information and then sort out what works for me so if you or someone you know can take something from this, good.  If not, I’ll have it preserved in cyberspace so I can look it up in the future should I forget!

Clothes organization is key.  If, like me, you have a bunch of clothes from someone else (thanks Kelly and April!) then you need a system to keep them separate.  My solution is to devote separate drawers to the clothes in the dresser and to turn the hangers around in the closet.  That way, when I take something out in a month or two, I know that it’s not mine (and this memory is usually strong enough to last through the next load of laundry so I can put it back where it belongs!)  Along the same lines, I organize clothes in the closet by hanger colors (I couldn’t get the little divider rings that I wanted) so I can see at a glance what size I have (3 colors, now, next, later) and how much of it.  This makes it easier to look ahead too and not waste a chance to wear clothes when she is growing into them.  And what to do when done?  Well, I leave two bags (actually box and bag) on the floor in the closet.  When she outgrows something of mine, it goes in the bag (after the wash!) and when she outgrows something that goes in the totes, it goes in the box.  This way, I can do big clothes organizations every month or two.

Clothes sizes are inconsistent!  Gerber onesies will always be at least one size smaller.  Diapers generally follow clothes sizes (so far – and I do mean generally).  Newborn = Newborn.  0-3 = Size 1.  3-6 = Size 2.  Maybe this seems obvious to some of you, but I wasn’t sure if it correlate for sure.  Also, if it seems like she’s getting close to growing out of a size, I just move up to the next instead of having a half box of too small diapers.  She seems more likely to leak out of a small one than a large one.  And different brands fit better at different times.  Hated Huggies for Newborn but wasn’t a fan of the Size 2 Pampers.  And quality does matter, especially early.  Sophie got an instant rash from Walgreens Size 1 diapers because they didn’t wick away the moisture as well.  Now though she wears them just fine.  But of course, every baby is different.

Don’t put the water-filled teethers in the microwave steam sterilizer.

You probably don’t need the straps that they put on everything (at least right away) and it’s easier to take them off than to keep moving them.

If you can find a car seat whose handle is lowered and raised with one button instead of two, get it.  Get the car base, way easier than strapping the seat in every time.

Socks will not stay up on a baby’s foot (at least not on Sophie’s).  Buy pants with the feet attached for the early months if it’s cold out.

Here’s a list I sent on to Becky that really captures some of the products that I think are important.  I thought I had more to say about this, but of course my mind blanked now so I’m sure I’ll add more some other time.

SwaddleMe (2) - there's a couple of brands out there, I personally don't like the zipper because it's one more thing to try and put together while putting her to bed.  I'd get a couple because she'll spit up/leak out of diaper (on a side note, I usually do her laundry every 3-4 days so I plan on having enough clothes/supplies based on this schedule.  Basically, you don't need too much of something since you'll be doing a lot of laundry anyway and it just means you won't use it all.  Also, I wash her clothes separate (make sure you attach all velcro to itself) on gentle - it gets washed a lot so this helps ensure that it'll last)

Sheet Saver (3) - I'd get a couple of these, maybe even three.  These are the things that tie to the sides of the crib

Sheets (3) - you could get away with two of these, but 3 is safer.  With the sheet saver you don't have to change these as often, but things happen and you might go through a couple in a day

Mattress Cover (1)

Mattress - We got a mattress that converts to a toddler mattress (it's softer on one side - harder on the other for her infant stage) - this depends on whether you're going to get a convertible crib, if you're just going to use a big bed, then it doesn't matter

Burp Cloth (8) - You can get by with 4 and 10 would be playing it safe.  I like the flannel ones because they dry well and her spit doesn't soak through it.  I also use these to lay her under her head when I put her on her play mat (she sometimes spits up when she gets excited)

Play Mat - You can start using this early on and it's good to have a spot to put her where there's a chance she might be entertained.  Sophie really likes that ours has music and things she can hit

Swing - sometimes she just doesn't want to take a nap in her crib and I'm not going to fight that battle all day, especially this young

Bibs (20) - the more the merrier!  Of course, if you are solely breast feeding this need will be reduced

Nail Clippers - buy a new pair so they are sharp (I bought the baby ones, they are less slipper to hold...I don't use the magnifying glass though)

Boppy - Love it!

Diaper Genie - Love it!  Use it for poopie diapers and keep a small garbage can for pee ones to save on changing it so often.

Receiving Blankets (12) - I probably go through more of these than normal because they are magnets for Zeke's hair so they end up in the wash frequently.  Plus I use them on the changing table (with a lap pad underneath) over the pad cover so when she pees all over I don't have to wash the pad cover.  If you don't use this system you should get about 3-4 pad covers.  People seemed to buy these even if they weren't on the registry.

Bottles (4) - I rotate through 4 bottles and this works for me because I wash them by hand and then use the steam sterilizer (it all came as a set, but the numbers work).  Again, depends on breastfeeding and some people just wash their bottles in the dishwasher (if you do this, you'll probably need more than 4)

Clothes - my recommendation is to not register for too many outfits.  They'll be tough for people to find and people just want to buy what they think is cute.  I would register for some of the basics like onesies.  Keep in mind your laundry frequency (don't get too many, you won't use them all).  Sophie usually goes through a couple of outfits a day (she'll pee on it or spit too much) - some days she only goes through one, but I wouldn't count on that frequency.  I saw suggestions for tshirts in addition to onesies, but I found that we needed the onesie to keep her diaper on (her butt is too little, she wriggles right out of the diaper).  Sleep and plays are great, gowns are tough to get on and usually cause crying because her arms are trapped inside for a few - plus they're not any easier to change a diaper with, maybe tougher because you have to pull it so far up.

Bathtub - I have the blue one with the teal newborn sling.  It works great.  The first couple of baths (until her cord fell off) we just laid her on towels and used one washcloth of soap and one to rinse and did it that way.  Now I have her out of the sling and leaning in the tub - she loves being submerged.  I'd recommend 2-3 towels and 6 washcloths.  She gets a bath about every other day or so.

So yeah, that’s about all I have to say about that (for now)!

Babies are like…

MEN:  I mean, think about it.  They fart on you and burp indiscriminately.  They like to kick back in the chair with a bottle.  And the clincher:  Sportscenter.  Seriously, watch the show once and notice that the flashy graphics, sounds effects, 10 second (max!) clips, the motion, the bright colors, the sound.  It’s all designed for babies and men.

ALIENS:  At least in the womb they are.  If any of you saw Sophie’s first ultrasound pic, there is no denying that she was classic alien baby, complete with big head and oval eyes.

How would you complete the title?  And what will toddlers be like?  Kids?

Time to play catch up…again

Well, I’m on a pretty consistent pace to check my computer once a week – not great, but at least I’m consistent!  It reminds me of the difference between accurate and precise – I don’t remember what class we learned about it in but it was very interesting to me because I always thought that they were the same but there was a nice visual that always comes to mind when I’m trying to decide whether something is accurate or precise.  It was two dartboards – the one that had darts in the bulls-eye (where did they ever come up with that term??) was accurate (since that’s what you were aiming for) and the other had a cluster of darts together off to the side and that was precise (because you keep hitting the same spot, even if it’s off target).  This image has left such an impression that I usually think of it when someone responds “Precisely!” and then I think “Really?”.  So yeah, little off topic there.  Now you can see how my brain works and why I always have 10 computer windows open at once!

Not too much new here.  Sophie is liking peas.  I didn’t videotape her first bite of them because they’ve all been so anti-climatic (no crazy faces or anything).  I thought for sure she would make one since I didn’t have the video set up but nope, everything was normal.  No matter what she eats, she always likes a little taste first to see what it is and then she’s ready for big bites.  She’s been fussy off and on – I think she’s getting frustrated lately because she wants something and can’t get it (like she wants to roll over or play with something else).  Still no more rolling over…she might be closer to doing it from back to belly than belly to back.  While on her back she really arches and lifts her butt off the ground.  Oh well, she’ll figure it out soon.  Some days I think that it’s her (lack of or emerging) teeth that are bugging her.  She still just has the little dot on the outside of her bottom middle left tooth.  It’s a white dot that doesn’t go away so I’m operating under the assumption that it’s a tooth!

Planted more in the garden last Thursday!  We really finished it off nicely.  More snap peas (gave up on that first batch – don’t know why they didn’t come up but the shelling peas planted the same day did…must have been a bad packet) were planted…the others planted a week or so ago are coming up.  Planted the rest of the four rows of corn (nothing coming up from the first batch).  Also planted some corn in mounds with gourds.  Put pumpkins and gourds in mounds near the ditch too.  Squash is coming up nicely and a few broccolis.  Saw a couple green beans, but not much.  Transplanted tomatoes and peppers.  Peppers weren’t real big but we figured we’d put them out and see how they do.  Most of the tomatoes will make it…looks like a few won’t.  The carrot seeds from last time don’t seem to be doing anything but the radish/carrot mix from the beginning is doing nicely.  Tom said he saw some green onions poking through and the regular onions are taking off nicely.  We planted mounds of potatoes and some watermelon too.  Oh, and cucumbers of course.  The spinach and both sets of lettuce are doing well.  I think I’ll stick with the grouping of lettuce every 6-8 inches instead of doing a row and then thinning later (each packet had different instructions,  I like the group better).  So yeah, I think that’s about it for the garden, look for pictures in the future.

Speaking of growing – Sophie’s in another transition of clothes sizes.  We’re moving quite rapidly from 3-6 to 6-9.  She still seems longer in her torso than legs though since we’ve been in the bigger onesies longer (but of course everything is sized different.  She’s more interested in doing stuff with me (I’m holding her while trying to finish this post) but she gets sick of stuff faster (I’ve already moved her back to the mat).  Of course Sophie would be quite thrilled if she outgrew everything and had to live her life naked.  She’s gone back to her earlier tendency of fussing when you try to put clothes on her (and outright screaming if she’s really tired and cranky).  Well, on to the next thing.  These posts may be more infrequent lately but they’re chocked full of such great info!  :-)  Bye.

Whew! Where does the time go??

Well, I haven’t been on the computer in almost a week so no, I’m not specifically ignoring you (or the other 50 messages in my email).  We’ve been really busy this past week.  Grant and Bobbie came into town on Thursday so we had a chance to hang out with them until yesterday when they left for Escanaba.  We went golfing with Grant and Bobbie on Thursday while Mom looked after Sophie.

On Friday Jen was in town so Mom and I met her and her family at Dunleavy’s for a nice lunch and a chance to catch up.  Pat and Jen stopped out for a while after too and saw the house and the baby.  Oh, but the day’s not over yet.  Mendy had cookout that Rich and Carolyn came up for.  Unfortunately I didn’t get to stay long because stinker-butt (aka Sophie) wouldn’t fall asleep so I came home with her.

Saturday morning Bobbie watched Sophie so Tom, Grant, Cody, and I went out fishing with Grant.  We got 7.  The waves were pretty big but it wasn’t too bad.  It was especially nice once the sun really started to peak out and warm things up.  Jamie and Keri came out to watch the Red Wings…then the power went out from 7:30-11:30 (figures, comes on when the game is over) so Tom made a fire and we sat around and chatted.

Sunday we golfed again and then went to Mendy’s for spaghetti dinner to say goodbye to Connie before she left for Florida.  Which brings us to Monday:  Grant and Bobbie left for Escanaba and I had our first softball game against Jammers.  We lost 8-5 but I think we have a chance to be competitive this season. 

Sophie was really cranky last night – wouldn’t go to sleep for Tom, then got up at 10:30, then again at 4:30 (she had diarrhea sometime between then), and again at 6:15 so that wasn’t good.  I think she’s turned a corner though because tonight was a good routine and she went down easy. 

See, told you that it’s been a crazy few days (or week almost!)  Enjoy some new pics – I’ll try to update things because it’s already June!!!  Wow – what happened to May?  Oh, and Sophie started getting a tooth yesterday!  It’s the outer edge of her bottom left.  Oh, and one more thing, we started blueberries/applesauce the other day.