Blake Olivia: 11 months

What's been happening this month:
***I can't believe this is my last monthly post before she's 1 year old!***

• 7 teeth. 4 on top and 3 on bottom. We started brushing everyday.
• Sleep regression.  She never has slept well but it has been a little bit worse this month.
• She is a master crawler and is much more sturdy standing up(still holding on).  She is taking steps pushing the toy stroller with her baby doll in it.  She is cruising on the furniture also.
• Clapping, pointing to what she wants.
• Understanding my signs: nurse, eat, all done, etc.  Signing herself: all done, more. I should work on this a little bit more.
• Longer naps occasionally, which is always a pleasant surprise.
• Understands a lot of words.
• Very secure and confident.  Will go to pretty much anyone.
• Got sick with a fever.  Turned out to be Roseola we think. The doctor was no help on this one.
• Very easy going and easy to take out.  She loves being around people and just watching her surroundings.
• She ate dog food, oops :)
• Started swim lessons.
• Got a bruised cheek falling at Grammie's when mommy had her back turned. Another oops.
• We have had lots of play dates, concerts in the park, walks, shopping trips (getting ready for her b-day), backyard pool days, 1st trip to Del Mar, US Open, and other fun summer activities :)
• We have checked off almost everything on our summer bucket list.

Blake Olivia: 10 months

This month's little photo shoot was not a huge success.  She was clearly not in the mood for this and I didn't have a plain white onesie in her size so I tried to cover up the writing on one with her month sticker.  I'd try again but it's just too much trouble.  I kind of like these pics anyway.  She rarely cries so these are pretty funny.  

This one cracks me up.  The look on her face says so much.  I really pissed her off ;) 

Also, she is the spitting image of my sister. 

What's been going on this month:

• Her hair is finally really starting to grow.  I was worried there for a bit that I would be doing headbands forever.  Her curls in the back are the cutest and she has hair exactly like her mom and dad.  Blonde with natural curls (yes Kyle and I have really similar hair).  Sorry girlie, you will need to learn early how to use that flat iron because frizz runs in the fam on both sides.  
• She is (some of the time) waving, clapping, & kissing.  She's also understanding more signs now and is sometimes doing them back.  She can do "all done" and she understands "nurse/breastfeed" and "more".  When I make the sign for nursing she gets a huge smile on her face.  It's really cute.  Now that she is understanding more I'd like to start doing more signing.  
• She in finally crawling.  I feel like we waited forever for this one but in reality she has been right on time with all of her developmental milestones, including crawling.  
• She loves to spin around in circles on her bum too.
• She is also pulling up to standing and cruising along the couch and coffee table.  She stands up on any and everything she can get her hands on and is getting stronger by the day.
• At the end of her naps I find her sitting up in the crib now.  It was a little shocking the first time.  
• Blake went on her first vacation to Cabo.  She loved it and we didn't have any of those problems that baby websites will tell you about when travelling like sleep problems etc.  Probably because we still are co-sleeping most of the time anyway. She loved swimming in the pool and all of the attention she got from strangers.  Our server one night said she literally "had to hold her" and Blake went right to her.  She also loves the attention so much that she has started staring people down who don't acknowledge her.  It's funny but probably a little rude ;)
• She still does not sleep through the night but I guess I have given up on that.  It will come when the time is right and it doesn't bother me that much anymore.  I just wish we had a bigger bed so we would all be more comfortable.  I keep her in her crib until that point in the night where I'm just too tired to try again and she gets in bed with us. 
• After Cabo/at the end of our trip, we all got a cold.  This was the first time Blake has ever been sick but it was really minor.  Still, it's hard to see your little one struggling to breathe through her nose and having even the smallest discomfort.  
• Blake's facial expressions have gone to a new level.  She started with duck face and then to a pissed off scrunched up face.  Her eyebrows are so expressive and I find myself always making excuses for her saying "it's not you, she just makes that face all the time" but who knows if that's the truth.  
• She has 5 teeth now.  The top 2 and 3 on the bottom.  They are practically popping up weekly now
• We are all loving the new house and Blake adjusted just fine to her new bedroom.  She has tons of room to play now which is awesome.
• She HATES having her diaper changed and has to be distracted with something when on the changing table every single time. 
• She loves her Cheerios and has expanded her palate to lots of different foods now.  She pretty much likes everything.  She usually lets me know she's done by smacking the spoon out of my hand and spilling the food everywhere. This is why we are working so hard on that "all done" sign ;)
• She also loves her books and story time.  She loves to turn the pages and I only read her the board books now because she is too destructive with the pages in the paper books.
• I am still nursing and still pumping at work.  The whole experience has been so worth it but pumping and working really sucks.  It's been difficult in my line of work because it's really hard to step away from my busy section of tables to take a break and my co-workers, who are forced to help me out, really don't care or understand the importance of it.  I don't expect them to but still it makes things hard when you work for tips.  That 15 minutes away from a table can really cause things to go south.  

Father's Day

What do you get for your Dad of the Year?

How about a cake made of ice cold beer...

This was one of the easiest craft gifts ever.  It took 30 beers, 3 cake rounds from Hobby Lobby, some ribbon, Washi tape, bakers twine, and 2 cake pop sticks.  Done and done.  Voila!

Blake Olivia: 9 months

What's been happening this month:

• Whisper Babbling.  It sounds like kakakaktatatata.  Aunt Kylie swears she is saying "hi Ky"
• She is still normal babbling also.  Lots of momomomomomom and dadadadadada.
• Blake is giving kisses.  They are wet ones with an open mouth but we love them.
• She super ticklish now and loves to be tickled.  She cracks up before you even touch her. 
• She still loves her baby and is sleeping with her.
• She is sleeping on her side.
• Second bottom tooth cut through and we have signs of the two top teeth.
• Blake is waving hi and bye bye.
• Sleeping through the night a little bit more and we have stopped co sleeping and I'm trying the pick up/put down method again.  That is the Baby Whisperer and The No Cry Sleep Solution method.   It has been working pretty well. 
• I have switched to Cheerios from Gerber Puffs and Blake loves them.  Her fine motor skills are really good and she figured out how to feed herself pretty easily.  
• We had a serious heat wave for about a week so Blake spent her days in a diaper sucking on ice cubes through the mesh bag pacifier things.  
• She also learned to drink some water from a cup and water bottle.  I don't giver her water regularly yet but she enjoys practicing with the cup.
• She is still not crawling yet but she is soooooo close.  She's just really mellow and doesn't have a huge drive to get across the room.  She's always able to get to the thing that she wants though.  The doctor had us a little freaked out about this.  She wasn't concerned with crawling but at Blake's 9 month appointment she said she was delayed because she isn't pulling up to standing independently and cruising.  Personally, I thought 9 months is a little early to be so concerned.  She is still totally in the normal zone and has not been early on any other of her milestones.  She also has really good verbal and fine motor skills so I'm not going to let the doctor get to me....yet.
• We moved again.  We are so happy in our new house but moving with a baby is incredibly hard.  We had to have an extra person there at all times to help with the baby.  Luckily we have tons of family around us to help out.  
• Cody has started "helping" with night wakings.  There have been a few times when I didn't wake up immediately when she started to fuss.  Cody makes sure to come to my bedside and wake me up with a bark, growl, or a paw nudge :)

Blake Olivia: 8 months

What's been happening this month:

• Well I've tried everything (excluding CIO) and Blake is officially my 30 minute napper.  I give up.  It means we have busy days and not a lot of time to myself but oh well, babies are only little for so long right, so I'm enjoying our time together. 
• On the other hand, our nights have been much better.  We started co-sleeping out of desperate need for sleep but I always put her down in her crib first, at bedtime.  I have given up on the 3am fight and put her in bed with us if I need to.  It works out pretty well and her first stretch of sleep (in the crib) has gotten longer and longer and she basically sleeps through the night again now.  It's hard on my sleep (and my back) but I actually love having her close to me at night.  We are much less stressed about sleep now and way more rested.
• I still follow a loose schedule because a strict one just didn't work for us.  I like to have some order to my day but we aren't chained to the house because of a nap schedule.
• FINALLY she likes to eat food!! This was a huge breakthrough and she just changed one day all of a sudden.  She has tried lots of different things now and has had no allergies and really hasn't hated anything.  I'm hoping she won't be a picky eater.
• With her new love of food came the major poop change. It's pretty gross now and we will be installing a diaper sprayer at the new house.  Still, it's not that much harder and I'm sticking with the cloth diapers :)
• She cut her first tooth.  Her bottom left central incisor to be exact.  I'm sure it probably hurt but she didn't fuss too much about it.
•  She is giving kisses, sometimes, when we ask.
• She went swimming in the pool and had her first beach day. She loved both.
• She's getting more hair but it's still not a lot.
• She has a favorite baby doll that has become her lovie and she's sleeping with her now.
• She's scooting backwards but not crawling yet.
• She's babbling like crazy now.  It's started with nananana and now mmamamama, dadadada, kakakakaka, tatatata, babababa. 
• No more pacifier.  She just decided she doesn't like it anymore.  I hear that it's for the best and I won't have to wean her later but it would be nice if she had something to soothe herself other than my boob. 
• And one of the best things, her hair grabbing has really lightened up.  Thank god because I really couldn't afford to lose anymore than I already have.  

Blake Olivia: 7 months

What's been happening this month:

• We started solid foods.  She pretty much hates it.  We keep trying but she gags at everything (sweet potatoes, avocados, peas, oatmeal, bananas, apples).  Every flavor and every texture.  I did, finally, have some success with avocados yesterday in bigger chucks.  She might just be one of those babies who hates the mush :)
• At her doctor appointment she was a little low in weight, story of her life, so the doc said to keep trying with the high fat foods like avocados and egg yolks (not the whites which are the part people can be allergic to).
• We are still trying to do a schedule to help with sleep.  I'm not sure if she's getting better or I'm getting used to it.  Maybe both but we have had a few nights where she slept through and some others with 5-6 hours stretches so I think that's an improvement :)

As a positive bonus, her schedule is really good for me.  I get a lot more done when I'm organized and forced to do it.  I have a natural tendency toward lazy which makes me feel terrible so keeping to a schedule really helps.  I also read somewhere once that people with ADHD had amazing improvements when they had children because of the schedule they put their baby on.

• We have been going to Beach Fit Moms which is a beach workout for moms and we bring the babes.  Blake is the youngest there and she usually makes it until about half way, which is cool because I need a break about then ;)
• Blake is sitting up all by herself.  And for pretty long periods of time too.  She still topples over when she reaches too far for something though.
• I discovered the hip carry position on the Ergo Baby which has been awesome because she didn't really like the Ergo anymore.  She wants to see what's going on and front facing in the sling isn't completely "hands free".  Here's a link to a video on how to do it. 
• We are totally off the swaddle now and exclusively using the Zipadee Zip.  I'm glad I waited until she was ready instead of being pressured by the pediatrician.  The nurse practitioner told me to just take it away, lay her down, and walk away.  Haha ya right.  Also, we will never let them give us an appointment with her again :)
• She almost gets up on her knees during tummy time.  One step closer to crawling!
• We have had a couple nursing strikes/low supply issues this month.  I'm not sure if she caused it or it caused her to be frustrated but it was just a gentle reminder to never get lax on the breast milk supply maintenance.  It's a full time job.  For me at least.  Totally worth it but something I always have to pay attention to.  

Blake Olivia: 6 months

What's been happening this month:

• Night waking.  This has been exhausting and stressful.  I have been going back and forth about what to do.  My natural instinct says NO to crying it out.  I really want to be patient and see if I can gently guide her into better sleep patterns without crying.  I downloaded The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley to my Kindle and sacrificed even more sleep to read it.  I have started using her techniques and they are helping, slowly.  Sometimes it feels painfully slow but I think it is working a little bit.  I'm trying to stop stressing about this and accept it for what it is.  Going to bed at night can give you anxiety if all you think about is that fact that you will be up in an hour or two.  If you accept it, it's less stressful :)
• Blake is loving different textures and scratching her nails against everything. 
• She is distracted and curious about EVERYTHING.
• She turns to her name.
• She rolls from her tummy to her back as soon as I put her down.  She still really does not like being on her tummy.  I just keep putting her her back on her belly :)
• She loves playing with her toys and has definite preferences.
• She tries to hold the bottle when Grammie is feeding her.
• She is growing out of her clothes like crazy.  
• I finally had to cut her toenails.
• Doesn't love the Ergo like she used to.  I want to get better with my sling and see if she will switch to that.
• We are weaning off the swaddle, starting with unswaddling one arm.  More to come on this later.
• Even though the night wakings can be frustrating, those moments in the middle of the night are a special time for us.  We rock and sway and I smell that addicting baby head smell and I can almost feel the "mommy hormones" running through my brain.  I know this is just a short time in her life so I'm trying to enjoy every moment. 

Lactation Shake

Peanut Butter Banana Lactation Smoothie: healthier than eating lactation cookies :)

• Protein Powder (I use vanilla)
• 1 banana
• splash of milk
• Chia Seeds (because they are a superfood and I put them in everything these days)
• Scoop of Peanut Butter
• 1/2 tbs flax seed meal (soak in water for a few minutes before to soften)
• 1/2 tbs. brewers yeast
• ice

You don't have to do peanut butter banana but this flavor is sweet and can cover up the bitterness of the brewers yeast.  I might try a fruity or green shake next.  Protein, flax seed meal, and brewers yeast are the important ingredients for lactation.  

Today I also heard that coconut oil and grass feed butter (whatever that is) are also good and some people put them in coffee (decaf).  There are so many home remedies for low milk supply out there and who knows if they really work but I have pretty much tried them all and now have a really great supply so I will keep doing what I'm doing. 

Blake Olivia: 5 months

What's been happening this month:

• 14 lb. 7oz at her doctor appointment.  Almost double her birth weight. 
• Doing much better at tummy time and rolling over from front to back.  She only gets to her side from her back though.
• Wearing size 6 month clothes.
• Laughing.
• Chewing her hands.
• Still drooling a lot.
• Understanding and anticipating games.
• Loves playing with toys, especially throwing them on the ground over and over and making me pick them up.
• Still needs to be swaddled for sleep.  I might get the Zipadee Zip soon to try to transition her.  It comes highly recommended from a few friends.
• Found her voice and loves to use it, loudly.
• Pulling hair. I can't ever wear mine down anymore.
• Loves to play with her feet.
• Waking up at night again. She wakes up about every other night.  I've read that this can happen at about 5 months because baby becomes more aware of their surroundings.  I am going to start some different methods for sleep so that I can create good habits.  I'm not a believer in "sleep training" but I am going to start gently helping her to learn to self soothe and fall asleep on her own.  I hope this works.  I didn't buy a book on it (because seriously, who has time to read a book?) but I have read up on a few different techniques and am going to sort of make up my own sleep techniques.  We'll see if it works.  More on that later.  I still really don't mind helping her to sleep but I would like to stop completely relying on nursing to sleep so that other people will be able to get her to bed.  

Blake Olivia: 4 months

What's been happening this month:

• Blake moved from the bassinet to her crib.  It was the easiest transition.  She loves the crib and sleeps great in there.  I was obsessed with watching the monitor for the first two nights and kept the video on, which lit up our whole bedroom, but by the third night I was ready to relax a little and just have the sound on.  Now I check the video periodically if I wake up just to peek in on her but we sleep with video off.  Everyone is sleeping better.  Even Cody.
• I'm still getting up once a night to pump and I think that will just be the way it is for as long as I am nursing.  It's actually not that bad, or at least I'm getting used to it.  I have stopped any extra pumping during the day because I was having a bit of an oversupply issue.  It's nice to know how to control it now and that I have to option to increase and decrease it if I need to.  Nursing a baby is such a huge commitment.  I never knew just how challenging it would be but it is so rewarding also.
• Blake is not rolling over yet and still prefers to sleep swaddled.  From what I have read, it is still perfectly fine and safe as long as she can't roll over.  I use the Swaddle Me velcro swaddlers and I love them.  It's funny because I hated them in the beginning.  It's crazy how things change.  I tried the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddler and it worked for a few nights but she was able to get her hands out pretty easily so I got rid of it in favor of the Swaddle Me.  
• Blake has discovered TV and definitely shows a lot of interest in it.  She has even been so distracted that she refused to eat because she was turning her head to see the TV.  I have been trying to keep it turned off during the day so she won't be staring at it but it's hard because I'm so used to having it on in the background.  
• Tummy time is getting better.  She will do longer stretches now that she has the super fun tummy time mat that looks like a pink surfboard and has a pouch with water and floating fish in the front.  By longer I mean 5-10 minutes.  We are still far from the 1 hour a day recommended by the pediatrician.  I'm trying though :) 
• We have had a few real belly laughs but they are unpredictable.  She had a huge blow out poop that she thought was pretty hilarious one day but I can't really get her to laugh on command.  It sucks because once you hear it once, you are addicted and I'm constantly trying to get her to laugh again.  Big smiles, on the other hand, are easy to get out of her now.  She is definitely ticklish.
• Her neck is getting a lot stronger and she has a lot more control.  She also has a lot more control of her hands.  She likes to grab at everything.  She also chews on her fingers constantly.
• We had a little scare when I was rear ended with Blake in the back seat.  It wasn't that bad of an accident but even a fender bender can shake you up when you hear your baby screaming right after.  It was just the noise that scared her and I was able to calm her within a few minutes but it definitely rattled us both.
• I have been trying to get outside and do some exercise since I really want to get back in shape so we have been walking.  Blake loves to nap in the Ergo baby.
• Her nap schedule really isn't a schedule.  I'm torn on whether to force her into one or not.   Some say that it's soooo important and others say let the baby take the lead.  I try to stay somewhere in the middle and make sure she gets her sleep but I follow her cues.  I'm also torn about nursing her to sleep all the time. It is great bonding time for us and she falls right to sleep and stays asleep.  It's hard to believe something that comes so natural and works so well could be a bad habit but there are tons of people that will tell you it's bad.  Again, I'm just following my gut on this one and doing what works for us.  I really can't complain since I have a happy baby that sleeps through the night.  I must be doing something right.  I am reserving the right to change my mind though if I get a more difficult child the second time around :)
• My hair is finally falling out and it's amazing I can lose that much hair a day and not be bald.  I was hoping I would be immune to this one but, just like everyone else I know, I'm losing my hair.  I Googled it and read that it's the pregnancy hormones that make your body hold on to extra hair that it would normally shed all throughout your pregnancy.  So this stage is just your body catching up and shedding the excess.  (That's why people often have really thick, gorgeous hair while they are pregnant) I don't know if this is the real reason for hair loss but it seems reasonable enough to me.
• There is one really weird/gross thing we have noticed.  Not all the time, but pretty often, her poops smell like popcorn.  It's like we just walked into a movie theater.  I might never eat popcorn again.  There are tons of people talking about it online so I guess it's normal.  It's only with breast milk apparently. 
• Lastly, the best thing about motherhood so far is this amazing bond that Blake and I share.  For this short period of time Blake prefers me to anyone else in the world.  She only wants me.  It's a great feeling.  I tell Kyle that even though right now he comes in 2nd (and it's a close 2nd because she really loves him) his time will eventually come when she prefers him for a while.  I know this can't last forever so I'm soaking it all up right now so I have something to look back on when she's going through those years where she hates me :) 

2013

Recap of 2013

1. This happened.

2. We moved. Again.

3. We went to Maui for my best friend's wedding.

4. I finished my post bac classes in Communicative Disorders.

5. We celebrated our 1st anniversary at L'Auberge Del Mar.

5. Our baby girl was born. 

6. We had our first Christmas as a family of 3.

It's been an amazing year!

My goals for 2014:
1. Get outside for some activity at least 4 days a week.  I need to lose some baby weight and getting outside is good for Blakey.  I've been walking lately and it's really good for stress.
2. Get organized.  I am shooting for one small project a week.  Soon I hope to have a more organized home/life.
3. Get a trainer for Cody.  He has been really good with Blake but he is still really protective and can be aggressive with strangers.


Blake's goals for 2014:
1. Practice more tummy time.
2. Grow some hair.
3. Learn to crawl, walk, and talk.

She will be very busy this year :)

Blake Olivia: 3 months

What's been happening this month:

• Up until now I have not wanted to use any kind of schedule or plans.  I have done anything I could to make Blake feel calm and comfortable.  I feed on demand, I let her sleep when she's tired, etc etc.  I let her tell me what she needs, even if that means using me as a pacifier once and a while.   I knew going into this that I wouldn't put pressure on myself or Blake for the first three months until I figured things out.
• We are developing more of a routine now but every day is somewhat different and I let Blake set her own schedule.  I don't believe in forcing an infant into a schedule to meet the parents needs.  I just let her do what is best for her and she has slowly created her own routine.  She usually naps about 10-10:30am and again in the afternoon with some small cat naps in between.  We go to bed at different times because of my work schedule but she always sleeps at least 8 hours.
• I have transitioned her to at least one nap, usually the morning nap, in her crib to get her used to sleeping there.  It took a few days but she now sleeps great in there.  She also naps in the Ergo Baby pretty often.  I like having her close to me and she loves it.  It also gets her off of her back for some of the day which is good for her head.  I'm only slightly paranoid about her getting a flat spot.  
• She still sleeps next to me in her bassinet at night and I would keep her there forever but she is getting close to growing out of it.
• Tummy time is still really difficult.  She HATES it so much and I don't believe in tough love so I pick her up when she cries.  That means she only gets a few minutes of tummy time each time.  I have tried getting down there with her, toys, mirrors, music but she still hates it so much.  I feel guilty about her tummy time every day because I know how important it is.  Her doctor said to just keep trying so that's what we will do.  
• I have finally stopped obsessing about her weight.  She is happy and healthy and continues to get good reviews from the pediatrician so it's time to stop worrying.  
• She is so much more interactive with people now.  We can make her smile and almost laugh.  She smiles at strangers too.  She is overall, a pretty happy baby.  I know she has a hard time when I'm not there on some evenings but for the most part she is pretty content.  
• She is following people and sounds with her eyes now, not just her whole head, and takes a lot of interest in her surroundings.  
• She coos and talks a lot more now.
• Drool, drool, drool.  She has a soaking wet shirt if I don't keep a bib on her all of the time.
• She is still trying to figure out the whole thumb sucking thing.  She is successful about 25% of the time.  The rest of the time she is just sucking on her fist.  
• She had her first vaccinations which were somewhat traumatic for me.  It's so sad to see her cry in pain.  It only lasts a few minutes but it's hard to see her hurt.
• We had our first trip to the urgent care on the day after Thanksgiving.  She had a stomach bug but we all survived it and she stayed happy and smiling through the whole weekend ordeal.  All that really happened was a lot more diaper changes and a worried mom and dad.
• Her fingernails continue to grow like crazy and I have to cut them once or twice a week.  Her toe nails, on the other hand, never grow and I have never cut them.  Sooo weird!
• A final note about breastfeeding: I swear I am going to stop obsessing.  Blake is healthy and my supply is fine, although I know I will always worry about it (I can see a change in just one day of not staying on top of pumping).  I also have to give some major props to my mom for breastfeeding my sister and me.  I can't imagine doing it 35 years ago without all of the resources I have had available to me. 
• I think I have figured out what my parenting philosophy is.  It turns out that parenting is a lot like politics.  There are two extremes and each side truly believes in their point of view.  I like to consider myself somewhat of a moderate but I do lean toward attachment parenting (I'm a baby wearer, I always respond to her cries, I nurse her to sleep, I exclusively breastfeed and plan to for at least a year, and I cloth diaper).  All of those things just came naturally to me but the more I learn about it, the more I realize what side I seem to be on.  I have to say though, it is terrible how much judgment there is on both sides when we are all just doing our best. 

And last...

•  We visited Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas

Blake Olivia: 2 Months

What's been happening this month:

• Blakey is sleeping through the night!! Not every night but probably 5 out of 7 per week.  If she does get up it's only once and I really don't mind it.  
• I, on the other hand, am not sleeping through the night.  We go to bed about 10-11pm on work nights and I get up at about 2:30 to pump and then Blake wakes up about 6am.  So everyone is well rested but me :) But it's totally worth it to keep my milk supply up and to pump enough to give her fresh milk for bottles while I'm at work.   My freezer supply is growing slowly also. 
• I am back at work.   I went back at week 5.  It was hard and I was paranoid all night texting my mom 100 times but it's getting easier and I am learning to let go a little.  It's good for her to spend time with her Grandmas.  
• Going back to work, caused me to get something called Mastitis.  I didn't pump at work that first night and that was a huge mistake.  I got a plugged duct and it got infected.  I was off work about 9:30pm and by about 11pm I had a fever of 103 and was shaking from pain and the chills in my bed.  Its comes on fast and hits you like a ton of bricks.   It was the sickest I think I have ever been and I had to take care of myself and Blake.  She needed to nurse more often and it hurt for her to eat.  Luckily I had leftover Rx Motrin from her birth so those saved me.  If I stayed ahead of the fever with the Motrin I was ok.  It lasted 3-4 days and needed a doctor's visit for antibiotics.  
• Breastfeeding set back: the Mastitis caused my milk supply to decrease a huge amount.  I don't know if it was the stress or what but I had to work really hard to get my supply back up.  I will post later about how I made it all work but we are finally back on track and didn't need any formula.
• Blake is a slow weight gainer but she is already in the 3 month clothes so we must be doing something right.  She's very long and lean :)  I was so sad to put away the newborn clothes that she's already grown out of. 
• She has started smiling!!! This is by far the best thing to happen all month.  There's nothing like seeing your baby smile at you.  I can't wait for her to start laughing. 
  
• I am exclusively cloth diapering now.  I don't make her other care givers (grandmas) do it but when she's with me we only use cloth.  It's a lot easier than I thought it would be and I will do a full post soon.
• I have the worst mommy-brain.  This actually happened: 
  
• She LOVES being in the Ergo Baby carrier strapped to my chest.  Some days we spend all our time walking around and doing housework with her in there to keep her happy. 
• She loves bath time but hates getting out and dried off.
  
• She hates having a wet or dirty diaper but loves getting changed.
• She loves looking at contrast, especially black and white.
• She is making a lot of eye contact and looking at faces more.
• She is drooling and blowing bubbles.
• I'm trying to get back into working out so I've been riding the stationary bike in our garage while Blake hangs in the Ergo Baby.  She falls right asleep.  
• She's almost got her thumb in there.  Might be a thumb sucker like her mama.
  
• She watched her first Laker game.
  
• AND....my bestie just found out she's having a boy in March :)
  

DNA Test Results

 Cody discovers his true identity...

Well we have always thought that our baby boy Cody was a Wheaten Terrier mix.  To be absolutely sure, we did a Wisdom Panel DNA test on him and sent it in.  Boy, were we way off.  Although these dogs look alike, they aren't even in the same category.  He's not even a terrier, which is really surprising.


 What we thought he was:
Wheaten Terrier

 

What he actually is: 
Bouvier des Flandres and English Springer Spaniel mix

Blake Olivia: 1 month

What's been happening this month:

• I have been off work for a month and we have had tons of quality time which has been great.
• Blake had her first bottle and she did great.  She took to it right away and had no nipple confusion.
• She has been consistently gaining weight, which is good, but not as quickly as we would like.  I'm really working on fattening her up. (8lb. 11oz. on day 32)
• She lost her umbilical cord scab at day 6.
• She started to cry real tears at 2 weeks but luckily for me it's only when she is crying really hard, which isn't very often.
• We have been working on getting her used to tummy time but she still really hates it.
• We have started to create a bedtime ritual which includes bath time, story time, and a baby massage.
• We started cloth diapering.  I don't do it exclusively yet but more to come on that in a future post on cloth diapering.  She has started blowing out the NB diapers so I think it's time to move up a size.
• We have been out to dinner 3 times and been on multiple outings to grandma's, friend's houses, and the beach for walks.
• Blake's puppy brother is adjusting better than I thought he would but he still has work to do.  He's terrible when we have visitors (so overprotective) and needs to work on being gentle.  
• We have had quite a few sleepless nights but most nights we get one 4 hr stretch followed by two 2 hour stretches which is enough for me.
• Blake is starting to like her swing ad she loves being in the Ergo Baby.

What I've learned so far:

• Be patient.  It takes time to figure things out like diapering, dressing, bathing, soothing, burping, feeding, etc etc etc.
• Wait to cut nails until about 2 weeks old because they will be firmer and it's easier.  File and use mittens until then. I did this and then still nicked her thumb once.  She cried for about 30 seconds and I cried for about 2 hours.  The good news is, she won't remember it but I was still traumatized.
• About every 3 or 4 diaper changes put some Aquaphor on her bum (and other areas that could get irritated).  It helps prevent diaper rash.  She got a tiny bit red and doing this fixed it right away. 
• Poop stains!!  The sun will magically take care of this if you dry the stained item in the sun.  It seriously works like magic.
• The booger sucker (bulb syringe) is your best friend.  Along with saline drops.  Around 2 or 3 weeks old, Blake started getting huge boogers that blocked her nostrils and she sounded like a Pug trying to breathe. 
• Breastfeeding is hard.  It's a huge commitment and takes a lot of learning, for both you and the baby.  Stick with it because it gets easier and is totally worth it.  Also, yes it literally takes all your time in the beginning and that's normal.  Don't let people tell you different or make you feel guilty because you're hogging the baby.
• Let Down feels like "pins and needles" for me.  It doesn't hurt, it's just like my boobs fell asleep.  People kept telling me I would be able to feel it but it took awhile to recognize  
• Infant gas drops really help with her fussiness and spitting up.  Also feeding her semi-upright and holding her upright for about 20 min after eating helps with spitting up and gas.
• Take the 1st month and do nothing but bond with your baby and husband.  You will not regret taking advantage of this special time with your family. Especially if you're like me and have to go back to work now :( 
• Enjoy this time because, as cliche as this sounds, it goes by so fast.

A friend of mine calls this the 4th trimester.  I LOVE that :)

Blake Olivia: 2 Weeks Old

Blake has passed her birth weight tipping the scales at 7lbs. 13oz. on day 16.

She is a good eater and we are finally getting breastfeeding down :)

Way to go Blakey!!