9 month stats

It's been busy around here! Alison is 9 months old, crawling EVERYWHERE and cutting her first two teeth. Given the pain of teething she's been handling it pretty darn well. I know I've neglected to update so I wanted to bring everyone up to speed.

9 month Stats

 This post is incredibly late, I know. Due to Spring Break and scheduling conflicts we just got Alison in for her 6 month check up & shots on Friday. The Pediatrician was very impressed by her growth and her sitting posture :) 

• Age: 9 months & 9 days/ 40 weeks and 1 day
• Weight: 18lbs 4 oz (25%) as of 7/2/13
  
• Height:  28 3/8 in. (75%) as of 7/2/13
• Head Circumference: 17 in. (25%) as of 7/2/13
• Hair Color:  Light Golden Brown
  
• Eye Color: Blue  
• Diaper Size:  Size 3
• Clothing Size:  9 - 12 months 
• Teeth : Bottom 2 have broken through the gums
• Mommy's Favorite:  Playing "So big", reading books together (she really loves to read!!), mealtime, nursing
• Daddy's Favorite: mealtime,playing "so big", chasing each other in the walker, when I get to put her to bed at night :)
• Favorite Toys By Month:

• October= monkey rattle

• November= giraffe music box stuffed animal

• December= bumble bee toy
• January =  knit doll
• February = wooden teethers
• March =  her "box of fun" (Thanks Megan!!)
• April = bunny book 
• May = Baby dolls
• June = Her walker
• July = books with baby faces

• Sleep: Wow, what a wonderful sleeper we have! Last night she slept through the night *truly*, not waking before 6:30 am, even to eat! Normally she goes to bed anywhere between 6:30 pm & 7 and sleeps til 4:30-5am, gets up to eat and sleeps til 7:00-7:30am. She's taking two naps, between 1 1/2 hours long and 3 hours at 9am and 2 pm. She wakes talking and goes to sleep all on her own. What an amazing difference from a few short months ago. We know nothing of sleep deprivation and, like I noted above, she's even handling teething well. Way to kick butt, Alison!!
• Feeding:This girl LOVES to eat. We know that solids are just for fun before one, but she has really taken to them. We've stopped the purees and are doing strictly finger foods three times a day. Some of her favorites are bananas, turkey, peas, blueberries, and sweet potatoes. I have to place food one at a time on her tray otherwise she shovels it all in! Breastfeeding is still going SO great and she's even become less distracted. Feels so good to still be nursing!

I'll leave you with some of my favorite pictures from the past few months :)

Visiting Grandpa (my dad)'s bench for the first time 6/1/13

Hanging out with mom 6/12/13

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! 6/16/13

Happy Fourth of July! 7/4/13

Having fun at the Children's Museum 6/28/13

 

On the Move!

Just this morning our girl started a full on army crawl. I knew it was coming soon and I am really proud of her but I know I'll miss the days of putting her on a blanket while I get some chores done.

Here she is, just this morning. Of course I filmed just a short snippet of her army crawl but trust me - its on. Just two days ago this was her trying to move around -

She had been "stuck" at this stage and so frustrated she couldn't move any further. She wanted to move but couldn't quite figure out the logistics.

And for laughs - here is video I "accidentally" captured on her 7 month "birthday" of her back-scooting to me. It was the only time she ever did this and as you can tell from the video, I found it hilarious. She booty bounces all the time during a diaper change, this was just the first (and only) time she used it to move.

Look at me! 6-9-13

Lastly, she started standing her her crib over the weekend. My little containable baby is no more. She's getting bigger by the minute!

6 month Stats

 This post is incredibly late, I know. Due to Spring Break and scheduling conflicts we just got Alison in for her 6 month check up & shots on Friday. The Pediatrician was very impressed by her growth and her sitting posture :) 

• Age: 6 months 21 days / 28 weeks 6 days
• Weight: 16 lb 9 1/2 oz (50%) as of 4/19/13
  
• Height:  26 1/2 in (50-75%) as of 4/19/13
• Head Circumference: 16 1/2 in (25%) as of 4/19/13
• Hair Color:  Light Golden Brown
  
• Eye Color: Blue  
• Diaper Size:  Size 3
• Clothing Size:  9 months
• Mommy's Favorite: Her laugh, The way she "spit-talks", How she looks like a pretty little flower when she sits up,her hugs, our nighttime routine. 
• Daddy's Favorite:  Feeding her new foods, her smile,going out to eat with her, When she laughs at "play yelling" (its so cute - he'll say I told you not to pull my hair with a smile, and she'll just laugh and laugh)
• Favorite Toys By Month:

• October= monkey rattle

• November= giraffe music box stuffed animal

• December= bumble bee toy
• January =  knit doll
• February = wooden teethers
• March =  her "box of fun" (Thanks Megan!!)
• April = bunny book

• Sleep: We seem to be in a good spot with her sleep patterns. Ever since we got a sleep sack she's more or less sleeping through the night again (thank goodness) baring a quick wake up once or twice just for a pacifier. Still not wonderful, but it only takes a moment to get her to back to sleep. Naps are still a thorn in our side - she just wants to sleep on me and is very persistent on doing so. We've almost broken her of it, but not completely. Our big girl only naps twice now - around 9:30 and again around 1 or so, for anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours a stretch. UPDATE - She is now napping in her crib after minimal fussing. Still not LONG naps, but they are gradually getting better :)
• Feeding: She's an efficient little eater for sure! She nurses every three hours (or so) and only for about 4-8 minutes. I used to worry that it wasn't enough, but she sure is growing! We started solids a week before she turned 6 months and she eats a meal of peas, carrots, or avocados once a day, before bathtime at night. She loves trying to feed herself!! UPDATE: We're now feeding solids twice a day mixed with a little oatmeal. 

Sleep Training

Its no secret that getting our wee one to sleep has proved problematic. I know we're not alone, but it sure can feel that way when you're in the midst of it. Recently we've noticed that Alison is much fussier and less attentive during the day, and I attribute this shift to her lack of naptime sleep. She's been doing worlds better on nighttime sleep for about the last 2 weeks, even sleeping up to 11 hours on most nights. Its those pesky naps that have us pulling our hair.

I'll admit that I have been pretty relaxed on having any sort of schedule, be it for feeding or sleeping. I thought it was working for us but, at close examination, it really wasn't. I let Alison tell me when she was hungry and I would wait until I saw a sign that she was sleepy to start my (pretty much) non-existent nap routine. No wonder she couldn't fall asleep!

From what I've been re-reading in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child she's unable to coax herself to sleep for naps because she is so overtired. A particular passage really resonated with me and sounded EXACTLY like what Alison has been going through. So, we're going to try out the advice of putting her to bed a bit earlier than normal (5:30) for a bit and really hammer out being home for all of her naps and getting that ROUTINE down.

I've just got to say how much I appreciate all of my mommy friends for their words of wisdom, encouragement, and honesty.

Love this new smile 4-2-13

My silly sunshine girl 4-1-13

Starting Solids

Its now been two weeks since Alison started solids and I believe she's starting to get a hang of it. So far, she's tried avocado, carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and various combinations of them all. I decided that I wanted to give making her food a go and so far that's been manageable, too. Now that spring is in full swing I can peel potatoes in the back yard while she plays on a blanket and we listen to music. Little moments like that just warm my heart.

She appears to like everything we've given her, although it took a few tries to get her to warm up to carrots. My husband wanted to do the puree thing for a bit before we try any whole-foods. Eventually, I'd like to do a combination of the two - leaning more toward whole foods. When it comes to parenting, we all know that its a compromise of both parents' wishes and ideals. This has probably been the first decision we weren't totally on the same side so we decided to try both. Makes for a happy home. I didn't think I'd get as much enjoyment from making her food as I do and although its pureed - I can breathe a sigh of relief that I at least know its fresh.

This video of our pup Rudy licking her hands after a meal of avocado gets me smiling.

I'm waiting for her 6 month appointment (which is incredibly late this go around due to spring break) to post her stats - Last I weighed her she was 17 1/2 lbs!




I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Weekend update - Milestones galore!

There is really nothing better than having a fantastic weekend.

Saturday we met up with a few friends to watch my alma mater,VCU play in the second round of march madness. They didn't do so well but it was great to see our friends nonetheless. We even got to see Adeline, our friends eight month old daughter. At one point, Adeline was playing with one of Alison's toys and our girl tried her best to steal it back (which she eventually did) and we all had a laugh about that.

Adeline and Alison interact 3-23-13

Dads and their daughters 3-23-13

After the game we headed to Shane's parents house and hung out a bit while we watched even more basketball and discussed our Easter plans for next weekend. Always a good visit. We finished up the day at the dollar tree getting some everyday objects like measure cups for some sensory bins I'm working on for Alison. To date, this was the longest amount of time we've been out of the house since Alison arrived - only took up (almost) six months to be gone about six hours.

Tiny Buttons

Today, Alison has a guest spot on the baby fashion blog, Tiny Buttons. Hop on over to check her (and her friends) out!

A Week of Firsts

This has been a great week & another one for the record books.

Monday we went to our first ever story time at our local library. The story time for her age group is 9:30 am but we never get to go since that is (usually) smack dab in the middle of Alison's morning nap (ugh). Thanks to the time change,however, she was "off schedule" and not ready to nap until much later so we were able to go. It was so much fun!!! Unfortunately, she adjusted her schedule by Tuesday and the chances of us making next weeks story time is slim. Honestly, I was shocked there were so many "regulars" able to make the 9:30 time. All the baby sleep reading I've done suggests babies around this age form a morning nap beginning around 9 or 10. Beats me! There is another library closer to a friends home that has the same program at 10:30 which would better suit our needs. Hopefully we'll be able to go with them sometime soon ( or just on our own ).

Equally (if not more) groundbreaking, last night was the FIRST time Alison has gone to bed in her crib "tired but awake". A little voice inside my head said to really give it a good shot, which I did, and the pay off was phenomenal. As I've mentioned before, we've had to rock her to sleep and VERY carefully put her in her crib, otherwise there were countless tears. It pulled at our heart strings - we just couldn't let her cry like that. So, instead we followed her lead and gave her what she wanted. It appears there is a change in the air, now at 5 1/2 months old. Slowly, I shifted from rocking her to just holding. From letting her nurse to sleep, to pulling my breast away when she was done but still awake. It took about a week but I finally got her to go to sleep just by holding her, which I had been doing for naps as well as night time sleep. I seriously felt like a rock star. I got her to go to sleep without crying it out (not to say she didn't protest) and at her own will. The benefit was immeasurable - she didn't wake up several times before finally nodding off, which had been her habit since that dreaded regression some 8 weeks ago. She only woke up when her white noise turned off (but we fixed that problem) and gave us a nice 7 hour stretch. I can't remember the last time she did that!

What's more? We just did the same routine just now for a nap. She fought it more than she did last night (My guess is because she's not as sleepy as she is before nighttime sleep), but she still went down awake in her crib. I'm typing this entry now from her rocking chair as I promised her (yes I know.. It's not like she understood the promise, but I'm a mommy of my word) that I wouldn't leave her room as she slept. It's been 30 minutes now and I feel like I can mark this go a success, too. I'm one proud momma!

Also making me incredibly happy is reflecting on my love - I met my fantastic husband in a bar with good friends five years ago this evening. That man is one in a million- the most amazing spouse and the best father I could have hoped for for our Alison. I'll try not to be too mushy - but Shane is seriously the B.E.S.T. :)

My mom is coming down this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. Perhaps ill get to clean some during Alison's afternoon nap. I can dream, right??

Have a great weekend, friends!!

A girl and her Daddy 3-11-13

Big Girl! 3-14-13

Five Months Old!

Alison is FIVE months old! 

Today I woke up with a five month old. I'll save you the shock and awe of having a child this old BUT I will say she has grown monumentally over the last 28 days.

This month saw her rolling over (back to tummy), becoming mobile (!!!), sleeping in her room overnight(that system still isn't perfect), noticing our dog Rudy, pressing buttons on toys, passing toys between hands with ease, grabbing her feet, and (my favorite) her personality has just been blooming. She is such a happy, sweet, and sassy little girl. She knows what she wants and loves to laugh. I've always loved her (of course) but I am starting to feel that real bond. I thought the bond was strong before but, in reflection, I'm feeling it so much more now.

She's at such a fun age, too. I love watching her discover the world around her and its wonderful that she can entertain herself while I get a few things done around the house. I could leave her for a few minutes (a few feet away) on the play mat before and I knew she had visual stimulation but her ability to interact with her toys gives her such joy now. I love to hear her laugh and sometimes it even makes me smile to hear her get frustrated when a toy doesn't fit in her mouth the way she'd like (does that make me a mean momma? ;) )

The sleep regression we faced is more or less over but our champion sleeper is a memory of the past. In February she went down from 4-5 wakings a night to 1-3. I can't really complain though because she goes right back down after a minute or two, but it's nothing like the sleep she (and we) got before she was 15 weeks old. Naps are more consolidated- instead of 5 40 minute naps she's sleeping 2 MAYBE 3 times a day with times ranging from 45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours. The sacrifice is she. Is back to napping in the wrap- but as I've read from other moms, if its not a problem for your family it's not a problem. Some moms have said their child slept on them for awhile and once they were ready they stopped. It's difficult to want to stop because the rest she gets on me is SO restful. She wakes up smiling, ready to play and learn. When I was laying her down and she was sleeping those short bursts and waking up cranky and rubbing her eyes within 20 minutes - made for a grumpy baby and momma. I've learned to take it one day at a time and as my wonderful friend Megan reminded me the other day - one day you'll realizing they are no longer doing that thing you worked so hard on and they'll be on to something new. In addition, I find solace that no kid ever went to collage needing to sleep on their mother(maybe Alison will be the first ;)).

As far as her dislikes, she has little interest in sitting up (further affirming our choice to wait on solids) but I have a hunch that will change. She's also not a fan of reading books (shed rather out them in her mouth) so I've had to be creative in that department, reading books while doing tummy time. Lastly, Alison doesn't like when she can't get toys into her mouth. This is especially true when in the Jumparoo - she loves to be in it but all of the attached toys are just within reach to play with but she's not able to pull them I any closer. I've had to attach more toys with plenty of links so that she can explore some textures with her mouth. Other than those things, she's a pretty content little girl!

I can't wait to see what this next month has in store for us. Spring is nearly here and with warmer weather the activity possibilities broaden.

One Mobile Peach!!

I know I posted yesterday that Alison learned to roll over, but it seems as though she's already mastered her new skill and is using it to move about the room! I'm in trouble, friends. My girl is officially MOBILE! 

Back to Tummy!!

She did it! Got another first on film - woohoo!! Technically this is the second time she did it but the video of the first time was only once she got up and then when she rolled back onto her back - still!! I'm one PROUD momma!

Its a Miracle!

My beautiful girl slept in her own room all night for the first time last night (tear!!) it may have been just the ticket we needed to get passed the dreaded four month sleep regression. We put her down around 7 , she woke up at midnight and slept straight through to 645! She hadn't slept this well since she started this regression at 15 weeks (5 weeks ago).

Now if I could only get her to cooperate for naps...

A Peach by any other name...

I briefly mentioned in my first post that my blog name,A Peachy Kind of Love, was inspired by my most-used nickname for my daughter, Peach. What I didn't really explain was why/how I landed on that nickname.

I can't say I ever recall this, but when I was a baby my dad apparently called me Peach. I know this because of a few greeting cards I still have from my first year of life addressed to Peach, in his handwriting. I don't think it was completely intentional but I definitely got her nickname from that discovery.

My Dad& I late 1986

For the one or two people who don't know me personally (hello!!), I will tell you that my father passed away of Gastric Cancer in October of 2011 and therefore never got to meet my girl or even know that I was to be  pregnant soon after his passing. It's been a rough road of ups and downs but I do miss him everyday and lament the fact that he will never get to hold my sweet,sweet girl.

My Dad & I Summer 2011

 
I was actually due with her the same week of the first anniversary of his death. Throughout my pregnancy, I felt a strong connection with him, as if he was "watching over" and protecting me through her gestation. I'm not religious by any means - faithful, sure- but in many ways I feel more tied to my dad since his passing than I did while he was alive. I love, and have loved him all of my life - we just had a different relationship than I would have liked. Nevertheless, this is how Peach became Peach.

I had also thought I was going to keep our girls name a mystery to play up the whole peach thing but, in all honesty, I'm running out of pronouns. My girl is still my sweetest Peach, but from now on I will also call her by name- Alison. Again, not that any of you didn't know that already- just thought it was time to state the obvious :).

Alison got her real name in a much more organic way than she did her nickname. You see, my husband and I met five years ago because of an Alison - a song by Elvis Costello, now we are forever a family with our own little Alison.

When I was 21, I got my one and only tattoo - the line from the chorus of the song Alison, My Aim Is True, on my wrists. My husband and I were out with friends ( our friends were friends but we hadn't yet met) when someone asked me what my tattoo said. I was really impressed when he jumped in with the answer before I got the chance to respond. We spent the rest of the night discussing our shared love for Elvis Costello, Woody Allen, and sharing a few a lot of drinks. (Hey, it was St. Patrick's day weekend!!) it was the beginning to our little love story.

The night we met, 3-15-2008
(He's on the right I'm in the glasses on the left)

 

When it came time to pick a name for our daughter we had a list of names we liked and ended up choosing Alison not because of the connection but because we really like it. (Shane will tell you that, I  would say the connection helped influenced our choice).At any event, our Alison is totally an Alison and any other name we considered just wouldn't have sufficed.

Week 19

It's been a few days since my last post but in my defense things have been pretty wild around here.

I know I've written countless posts about my girls sleep (and lack thereof) but really - at 4 1/2 months old (trying to) sleep is one of the main parts of her day.

Anyhow, the last few days have been particularly trying. Our girl only wants to sleep on us- a preference I thought she gave up back on week 15. We gave up swaddling because she is rolling in one direction and so close to going the other way, but it is nearly impossible to put her down to sleep without her screaming.

I swear I've tried it all. Her pediatrician said she's too old to be rocked to sleep and we should be working toward putting her down awake but drowsy. How is this possible?!? She yells like her leg is broken (I assure you it's not) the second we put her down after an abbreviated bedtime routine. I've tried singing lullabies, rubbing her belly, holding her hand, letting her fuss for a minute (we are not comfortable with letting her cry for extended periods at this age), letting her see me "sleep" in the rocking chair - none of it works. She is so so upset and just wants her mom. I promise were trying to put her downstream the first signs of sleepiness but by the time I give in some 45 minutes later, she has fallen apart and is SO exhausted I end up saying screw it - she can just sleep on me. Clearly my baby is boss.

It all came to a head two nights ago when even her night sleep was being disrupted heavily. She went down for the first leg of her sleep fine - but around midnight she woke up and didn't want to be put down - she was so tired but wouldn't sleep. We even thought it was possible that she was teething (she's not). Needless to say, yesterday I was pretty tired and thank goodness my husband was able to come home early to give me a break.

Last night she slept much better so maybe things are turning around. I haven't read the book, just blurbs about it online, but The Wonder Weeks claims there is a huge growth spurt around 19 weeks (peach turned 19 weeks Monday) that lasts from 15 weeks old to around 20. During this time their sleep gets wonky, they are more clingy, and a bit more fussy. I know it may be silly, but it's been putting my mind at ease to think this is just developmental and temporary. That we're not damaging progress by holding her more right now.I also find solace in those quiet moments with my babe in my arms thinking, soon enough, she won't want to be sleeping in my arms anymore and how foolish I may feel for wishing it away right now. I have been just watching her sleep and trying not to get to emotional when I think about how much I love her and how excited I am to watch her grow.

All I can do is keep trying to put her down awake but drowsy and not beat myself up when that attempt doesn't work. As another blog I read reminded me a few weeks ago, my baby is not a robot. I'll just continue to trust my heart, my intentions, and know that it'll all work out soon enough.

A Few Notes on Breastfeeding...

Gotta love those little nursing hands

When I was pregnant and figuring out what would be important for our little family, I decided that breastfeeding would be a must. Not only is it free, (relatively) mess-free, and always available, BUT, like they say, breast is best. What is even more fantastic is that breastfeeding seems to be having a resurgence amongst new mothers. Nothing wrong with formula (truly- it serves its purpose!!) - but I will say all of the new mothers that I know (to my knowledge) wanted to breast feed for at least some time, whether they were successful or not.

When our little peach arrived I was so exhausted (I swear I'm working on that birth story!!!) but I knew I had to at least try to get her to latch. The hospital we delivered at is very breastfeeding friendly and advocates that the first hour of life be bonding time. Since she was delivered via emergency c-section this was altered a bit. When we finally were together, though, we made sure to do plenty of skin to skin and I attempted to breastfeed.


Now, its been over four months now so I wanted to note what I have learned in this process:

First and foremost, its not painless like some lactation consultants love to claim. Yes, in time it will become painless, but not right away. Oh my goodness - that initial toe-curling pain! Why do they tell mothers its not supposed to hurt? I can't help but feel that telling new moms this only makes them feel like something is wrong with them - that perhaps they should stop. Instead, when you talk to others you learn (Hallelujah!) that you aren't alone. Breastfeeding takes some getting used to!

Second, you just have to keep trying and give yourself a break. I was so hard on myself those first few days and I really, truly thought we were doomed. I supplied more than I'd like to admit, pumped like crazy, and, with toes curled, tried latching more and more as the days went by. Before Halloween, we had it - we were exclusively breastfeeding! If you had told me I'd be where I was on day 3 I wouldn't have believed you. Patience and determination are key.

Third, you will succeed in nursing if you have great supporters. Your spouse/partner, mainly, but other new moms, too. Be prepared to ignore the nay-sayers. I am very thankful I didn't have any, but I was prepared to shut down doubts if I had to. I read a few books on the matter. Shane and I even attended a breastfeeding class while our girl was still cooking. I was most fortunate, however, to have friends who had breastfed and could give me some of those real-life advice tidbits that I have since passed on to two new moms. Somethings don't really resonate in text - you have to experience them and/or learn from others' experiences.

Next, if you can - get a lactation consultant. I am fortunate enough to have one who can even examine my daughter for all of her well visits. In fact, I just saw her this past week. She was so essential to my success in breastfeeding that I probably owe my next born to her (kidding!!).  She taught me to relax, keep trying, and that baby will follow my lead. I will probably continue to see her for a few more months (for well visits) just in case I have any questions. Nothing like a "one stop shop"!

Lastly, it has been so SO rewarding. There is no bonding quite like it. I absolutely love to nurse. I am so glad I stuck with it. I knew I would regret it if I gave it up and kept telling myself there are plenty of moms who would take all the pain just to nurse, but can't. Since my only issue was getting passed the pain I knew I had to suck it up. In my head I had to play some Eye of the Tiger or, perhaps the Rocky Theme and think of the day when it would be easy. One day, around week three, I woke up and voila! NO PAIN!

Hows that for a "milk drunk" look? 10/25/2012

My plan right now is to go for at least a year. Like I said in a previous post, I'll be student teaching next spring so I won't be around 24/7 to nurse, but she'll be 15 months when that starts. Hopefully I'll still be able to nurse her on occasion. I've been warned by a friend who completed her student teaching with an 8 month old that pumping will be nearly impossible - its what dried her up. Honestly it angers me that she (and likely I.. and other nursing moms) are not given adequate time (or space!) to pump. Breastfeeding should be encouraged - especially in Education!

Its been a long journey and I know with teething around the bend its only going to get trickier. For now, our biggest hurdle is keeping her on task - she's forever looking around the room at everything going on. We've had to start retreating to a dark space just to keep her concentration!

I will say this, I already dread the time when she is no longer breastfeeding. Sometimes I wish time could stand still - just a little.



I was inspired to write my thoughts on breastfeeding from a post on Love, Matt and Kara. Check it out!

4 month Stats

Peach with her favorite toy in January

• Age: 4 months/ 18w 2d/ 128 days
• Weight:14lb 11oz (between 50& 75 percentile)
• Height: 25.5 in (between 75 & 90 percentile)
• Head Circumference: 16 in. (between 25 & 50 percentile)
• Hair Color:  Brown (starting to grow back!) 
  
• Eye Color: Blue  
• Diaper Size:  Size 2 (but we've had a few blowouts - time for size 3?)
• Clothing Size:  6 months
• Mommy's Favorite:  Her "kisses for mommy", Superman stretch, her smile, her laugh
• Daddy's Favorite:  Bath time, singing songs, morning cuddles, her smile  
• Favorite Toys By Month:

• October= monkey rattle

• November= giraffe music box stuffed animal

• December= bumble bee toy
• January =  knit doll

• Sleep:  What a roller coaster ride her sleep patterns have been! This past month she went from sleeping on me in the Moby wrap, to sleeping swaddled in her pack-n-play to sleeping unswaddled in her crib! We've been battling the 4 month sleep regression (its getting better) and shes sleeping a 6 hour stretch (still not a lot :( ) followed by 2 hour naps, usually 2. Waking around 7 am. Naps were 40 minutes, 5 times a day - but she's made progress on those, too. Now she's sleeping 3 to 4 times a day for about an hour each. Still less than we'd like but its an improvement for sure! Another accomplishment? Waking up without crying. I can hear her waking up and "talking" in the monitor right now - happy as a clam. I've also noticed that she prefers to sleep on her side (although we still lay her down on her back).
• Feeding:  Nursing for about 10 minutes every 3 hours, with a feeding (or two) in the middle of the night. Starting to take a bottle, too (hooray!!!) - now.. if only mom would take the time to pump.....

Alone, once more?

Over the weekend we finally made a purchase that will take us into the next stage of Peach's sleep: blackout shades. Her room is south-facing (and coincidentally the brightest room in the house) and curtains just won't cut it if you plan on having her sleep a wink in it. Before this weekend, her crib was used maybe a half dozen times (perhaps on a very overcast day, or in those early weeks when light didn't wake her) and was more of a decoration than anything else. Instead, we have had her in our room, first at the foot of our bed, then at my side when she began waking less frequently, in a pack-n-play. We know she's not a fan of it (although she tolerates it) as she slams her legs down on the paper-thin mattress. It even sounds thin.

Anyhow, I was all ramped up to finally get our room back. No more whispering when we came in for the night, we could have more 'mom & dad time' without feeling strange (sorry, mom), and most importantly, my girl could finally use her crib that we bought all those months ago. All day Saturday and Sunday we laid her in her nap to crib (still swaddled - its hard to break!) and celebrated its success. Additionally, last night we decided it was time to let her sleep in there overnight - Gasp!

Like I said before, I was excited for this move. Even after I got her down (finally) and came down to watch some of the Superbowl with my husband I was happy about the transition. However, when it came time for us to go to bed, I couldn't help but whisper (even though its unnecessary) and when I looked into the empty pack-n-play I felt like crying - my baby was gone. Even my husband noted how empty the room felt.

Needless to say, I quickly declared that if/when she woke in the night, I'd be bringing her back in. Shane agreed. She woke up at 1 am (still getting through the 4 month sleep regression) and I was so happy to bring her back, I practically (sleep)skipped. I am still excited for her to sleep in her room and hope for the transition to be complete within a week - but for right now - I'm content with the baby steps.

4 months old!

Our Peach is growing!

Wow, it is so hard to believe it has been four months already (and still no birth story post to be found). Looking over these snapshots, I can see just how much she has changed over this last third of a year. Her hair may be just "peach fuzz" now but she is sprouting like a big girl. For her three month picture last month, we squeezed her into a three month outfit that she had just received for Christmas from her Grandma (it was small then!). Now, she's comfortably in six month clothing and looking too cute if I may say so.

Yesterday, we had a friend over whose daughter is just shy of eight weeks younger than our girl. Its amazing to see the difference between the two. Our little girl isn't so little next to her!

Best Pals 1-31-13

This past month has been SO much fun (and a lot of hard work!). She has rolled over, found her feet, began napping by herself, started squealing (and loudly, I should add), grabs toys, puts her hands together. and much more. We have our 4 month check up next Thursday and I am just so excited to see how much she's grown. My best guess is that she's just shy of 15 lbs and 26 inches or so.

Sleeping is still difficult around here. She prefers to be swaddled to sleep for naps, although she doesn't need or want a swaddle at bedtime. Putting her to bed zonked out vs. awake but sleepy is still our best bet. If we try the latter she howls and its just too much to bear. We will begin sleep training soon, though (I hope!).

Shane and I discussed solids and we're just not ready yet. I've read a lot of information about baby's "virgin gut" and I'm not convinced she's able to digest solids properly til six months or so. When the time comes, I'm toying with trying Baby Led Weaning, a method that had baby feeding herself from the get go (forget purees) and will definitely be skipping rice cereal no matter when we start feeding her (that stuff is just crap). Needless to say, I know she will be getting most of her calories from breast milk until her first birthday and when we start solids it will be for testing/trying and not as if she needs to eat solids.

I have to say the further from that newborn stage we get, the more fun with her I seem to be having. She has a definite sassy personality and I just can't wait for what will be in store this month.

Time for a Stroll

Ready to roll 1-29-13

Time for a Nap! 1-29-13

Today has been SUCH a beautiful day. Since my mother-in-law took the dog for the day, I decided it was time to break out the stroller and see how our little lady liked it. She's ridden in it before, with her car seat attached, but never in the main seat. Needless to say the trip was a success - so much so we went twice! I can't wait to use this stroller more come spring. The walks have done a number for my soul - I am smiling through and through! Nothing a bit of sunshine can't fix.

Riding  in the stroller when she was itty bitty 11-12-12

9,11,1, 3, 5

That's the closest we've had to a nap schedule yet. 5 times a day, for forty minutes. I was nursing her to sleep but I've gone back to nursing her when she wakes up or simply on demand (not that she ever turns a feeding down). I know its completely developmental and she IS sleeping at night so I should thank my lucky stars, BUT it would be nice to get more than 40 minutes to eat a sandwich, catch up on my blog, do a chore or two, WHATEVER!

Well, those 40 minutes are just about up so I better use the restroom before...

Nevermind, she's up.