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 :)

Healthy Banana "Ice Cream"

I have been seeing this around the internet a lot and decided to give it a try.  Hopefully I will be able to fool Blake with it for a little while at least.  It is actually really good and a great alternative to actual ice cream since I'm trying to be a little more healthy post baby.

All you have to do is slice some bananas and freeze them.

Put them in a blender or food processor.  I added a scoop of peanut butter.

The bananas will start to look crumbly and you have to scrape the sides and blend a few times.

Eventually it will look smooth.  It takes about ten minutes.

Re-freeze the smooth soft serve-like bananas, scoop and enjoy :)

Three bananas made 2 portions

  Mmmm delicious!

Homemade Apple Butter

This year's Christmas craft is apple butter.  I was shocked at how many people didn't know what I was talking about when I told them I was making it.  I grew up on the stuff.  To clear things up if you don't know what it is...
1. No it is not apple flavored butter
2. It's like jam but apple and cinnamon flavored
3. You can use it on toast, for pb&j, on vanilla ice cream, in oatmeal.  The possibilities are endless.

• 12 apples- peeled, cored, and sliced (an apple slicer makes this really easy)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp all spice

Step 1:  Throw everything in the crockpot on low and cook over night.  I let mine go until the apples were really soft and falling apart.  I left it on low all night and most of the next day.  

Step 2:  Crack the lid or remove it and turn crockpot up to high to cook off the water and thicken it up.

Step 3:  Put in blender and blend until smooth.

Christmas Candy

It's that time of year again.  I'm making holiday English Toffee for gifts.  This year I used walnuts instead of almonds because they came already chopped at Target so it saved me a step :)
My recipe is here.

DIY Mug Cozy

I have been seeing these mug cozies everywhere.  They are so wintery and cute for a cup of hot cocoa.  I was at Hobby Lobby the other day and came across a long garland of cable knit sweater material.  I wrapped it around a cheap plain mug and secured it with some holly berries on wire.  I would have done buttons but I didn't have any and I didn't want to have to sew anything.  If you can't find the sweater material at a craft store, you could always cut up an old sweater. 

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse ;)

My inspiration

My version.  Not too bad for a 5 minute craft :)

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