mobility...

...in a series of really bad iphone pictures and videos.  our journey through mobility is not over, but we've come so far, so fast that I think it is worth talking about.  c started showing signs of wanting to "crawl" really early (i actually know NOTHING about early childhood development, but it seemed early to me).  before 7 months she was up on hands and knees.

her first move was somewhere between "planking" and attempting a push up.  

 then she stayed on her knees, and just bobbed back and forth

at some point she started moving her feet but not her hands and she would end up in a downward dog position...not sure why I don't have a picture of this phase.

finally the hands started to catch up

then it was full on crawling! everywhere.  

literally days after she figured out crawling, she pulled up on the coffee table, then the ottoman, then the crib...and so on. 

 the same day we bought a push walker, she push walked (i'm not bragging, but this kid is GIFTED)

i think i know what is next, but i'm in no hurry.  maybe she walks soon, maybe she waits another few months! either way, we think she is the smartest baby ever.  right now crawling gets her everywhere she wants to be

we're in trouble

9 months

it's official...charlee has been out as long as she was in! 9 months old.  I can't  believe we are right around the corner from her first birthday. here is the update as of 9 months

weight: 21 lbs 6 oz (90th %)

height: 28.25" (also 90th %)

medical: 9 month check up went well.  Dr. Good said she was developing right on track! she had a flu shot and a finger prick to check hemoglobins (all good!).  she cut 2 teeth this month...within 4 days of each other.  once we could see them, they were through within a day.  no signs of any more coming soon.

check out them teeth!

sleep: slept really good this month.  8:30 to 6ish.  down to one nap per day most days (plus sleeping in the car to and from day care)

clothes/diapers: mostly 12 month clothes, size 3 diapers. after taking almost a month off from cloth diapering during the diaper rash, we started cloth again.  still going well. 

diet: she has the best baby appetite i have ever seen.  so far we haven't found anything she doesn't like (she even ate peaches that she originally denied).  we have started introducing finger foods (puffs, bread, pasta, cheese) and she really likes feeding herself. still eating mostly homemade baby food with the occasional pouch. 

milestones: walking on the push walker, cruising along furniture, started saying "ma ma" for a purpose.

likes: trying to crawl into the dishwasher, picking toys out of her basket, rigsby, being tickled, bath time in the big girl bath, looking at the baby in the mirror, noise making toys, miss debbie at daycare, the remote

ICE CREAM!

dislikes: waiting on food to be fixed, sitting still during diaper changes, having the TV remote taken away

8 month update

continuing on with my catch up session.  between 7 and 8 months was a really fun time.  she was learning new stuff everyday.  we have an incredibly curious and talented little baby, and this month she showed us that.

weight: somewhere just over 20 lbs...let's call it 20.5 lbs

height: i don't have the slightest clue.  her knees are folded in the baby bathtub and her toes try to poke out of her pajamas....so i assume she is still on the tall side.

medical: we continued to battle the dreaded diaper rash this month.  we switched to all disposable diapers so we could tank up on the creams.  we have tried desitin, beudreauxs, A&D, Aquaphor mixed with mylanta....and a prescription.  we are seeing improvement thank heavens! C got the head cold / viral FUNK this month.  It was the sickest she has been so far, and it was pitiful.  We saw Dr. Good, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.  She had so much congestion it was backing up and pouring out of her eyes.  Here's to hoping she doesn't have to go through that ever again.  I also suspected she was teething this month (diaper rash, cranky, chewing on everything), although Chuck would say I have said that every month since birth.  Since I am writing this almost a month late...spoiler alert....I WAS RIGHT...it just took a little more time (stay tuned for next month's update)

sleep: we traveled quite a bit this month, and she was sick for a couple weeks, so needless to say this was not our best sleep month.  we are still doing the "cry it out" thing, but with some boundaries.  i didn't let her cry while she was sick.  she is still a good sleeper, down around 8:30, up around 6:30.  1-2 naps a day.

clothes/diapers: 9-12 months depending on the brand. size 3 diapers..she upsized during the month.  All disposables this month due to the rash...and those jokers are expensive!

diet: we have tried lots of fruits, veggies, and started working on puffs this month.  she has fun trying to figure out how to feed herself (and rigsby!).  still a great eater, likes everything we try.  I am still making her food, except when we travel. 

milestones: pulling up (on EVERYTHING), this came about a week after crawling. self feeding

likes: eating, drinking from the sippy cup, playing with "Gerry" the giraffe above her changing table, any ridiculous silly games/noises you make, "helping" in the kitchen with plastic spoons and bowls, stroller rides / walks, visiting with family!

dislikes: being alone/put down in the mornings

7 month update (2 months late)

since it has been 2.5 months since i have posted and 2 "month" milestones...it is official that I am a terrible blogger....but i think i already knew that.  i guess i'll post 7 and 8 months separately...that way I don't mix it up.  forgive me if i talk about 7 month milestones in 8 months, or vica versa...but you won't really know anyway.

so here we go.  7 months (aka July 20, 2013)

weight: somewhere near 20 lbs...
height: LONG...i assume she is still near 90th percentile 

medical: happy healthy baby. we had a run in with diaper rash for the first time...and if you are still reading at the 8 month update you will hear more about this...overall...very very healthy

sleep: we decided to "cry it out" from 6 months on. my rule of thumb was that if she woke up after 5 AM, i would get up with her, if it was before we would let her cry.  we only let her cry for 15 minutes at a time before we go up there and comfort her...thankfully we have never had to do this more than once. she has been sleeping pretty good now...still working on sleeping through the night

clothes/diapers: 9-12 months depending on the brand. size 2/3 diapers..she upsized during the month.  

diet: we have started food.  she has made her way through many fruits and veggies...so far peaches is the only thing she doesn't like.  she is a great eater, and is always ready to try something new.  i have home made all of her food so far, except for cereal she eats in the mornings.  

milestones: this was the month of mobility.  she went from being able to move around a little, to full on crawling. with crawling came sitting up.  so she can go from back to belly to crawling to sitting and back to belly...there is really no stopping her now.  que the baby proofing. she also became a lot more "vocal" this month, which included a lot of growling(?)...i guess she is just testing her range.

likes: eating, drinking from the sippy cup, playing with "Gerry" the giraffe above her changing table, bath time, trying to pet rigsby, being in the stroller

dislikes: she is starting to become impatient during diaper changes, being put down in the mornings while we get ready for work, swimming!

1/2 of a year....happy half birthday

can you believe that it has been over 6 months since we brought our little roly poly into this world? 6 months = 26 weeks = 182 days! i can't believe it, apparently though it has happened.  and showing no signs of stopping, since she has actually been 6 months old for 5 days.  so here is our update...

weight: 18 lbs, 12 oz (90th percentile)
height: 26.75" (90th percentile)  

medical: we had our first medical run in this month...hand, foot, and mouth disease.  she apparently picked this up from daycare before we left for vacation, and started feeling the effects on the last day of our trip.  this caused a nasty rash (from head to toe...not just hand and feet and mouth) and a very ill feeling baby.  she somehow dodged the fever part of the disease though, so I guess it could have been worse.

sleep: our sleep issues did not improve through the 6th month.  i had a middle of the night feeding EVERY single night between 4 and 6 months.  and like magic, in the last 4 nights, she has decided to stay asleep until at least 5 am every night.  we are prepared to try the cry it out method if needed to eliminate that mid night feeding. 

clothes/diapers: 9-12 months depending on the brand. size 2 diapers (although we still use cloth, only disposables at night).

diet: we have started food.  we started giving rice cereal with milk at supper time about half way through last month.  last week we started working in veggies.  so far she has tried sweet potatoes, avocado, and banana.  i hope/plan to make our own baby food.  so far this hasn't been bad (steam, food processor, freeze).  i assume she will want to start eating some cereal or something for breakfast soon enough.  she has also started learning how to drink water out of a sippy cup. this was a HUGE month for these major growing milestones.

milestones: rolling (both ways, although she still RARELY rolls front to back), scooting (backwards), sitting (pretty well, unassisted), growling, sippy cup, putting feet in mouth (along with anything else that she puts her hands on)

she actually prefers drinking this way over the sippy cup...sippy cups are for babies

likes: RIGSBY...she thinks he is hilarious, the bouncer, "peek a boo", bath time (or really anytime she is naked), being outside 

dislikes: getting hot (ie the beach), being patient

shade made baby HAPPY

family: it was a huge month for family milestones.  first vacation, first illness, figuring out how to incorporate baby food/eating into our meal time, etc etc.  i decided to learn how to play golf, so we spent several days at the driving range and even took C to play golf...i'm hoping we can keep squeezing in practice opportunities, because 1) it was fun, 2) i need a lot of practice.

pa went golfing with us too, C kept score

 

a day in the life...

i have seen posts like this on other blogs and i'm fascinated by the schedules of each baby.  i wish i would have done one of these earlier, just to see how things have changed (because they have).  what never ceases to amaze me is the fact that we spend literally 95% of our waking hours either working or with c....sometimes I wonder what we used to do.  so this schedule is a typical day in our current situation (this gives/takes from week to week, but this is typical).

• 5:34am, my alarm goes off.  i need to get up now so that all three of us can get ready and we can be at work by 8...i hit snooze.
• 6:00am, chuck's alarm goes off.  sometime between now and 6:15 i get out of bed and hit the shower
• 6:30, charlee starts to stir in her crib
• 6:35, charlee is ready for the day.  i head upstairs, change her, nurse her, and get her ready for school (sometimes chuck does the changing and dressing part)

• 7:00, we are starting to scramble. we would like to leave the house about 7:10-7:15.  things that are happening now: packing lunch, packing my pump and supplies, packing charlee's bag for the day (diapers, wet bag, milk, extra clothes, etc), ironing clothes, packing workout bags
• 7:30, we leave the house. later than we want
• 7:45, drop charlee off at daycare.  we tag team it, and we can do it quick
• 8:07, (it is always 8:07).  get to work
• 8:07-4:45 WORK.  during the day charlee eats at 10, 1, and 4; i pump at 9:30, 12:30, and 3:30
• 5:00 pick charlee up at school
• 5:30, get home and unpack.  play with rigsby.  play with charlee.  sit on the deck, enjoy a beverage



• 6:00, nurse charlee (or solid food, we have just started this routine)



• 6:15, start to figure out what we are going to eat **sometimes we don't eat, sometimes we cook, sometimes we go out.  it usually happens between 6-8
• 8:00, bathtime, story time
• 8:15-8:30, nurse charlee, put her to bed.  she usually goes down easy after eating.  i have heard this is a bad habit...but it works for us.
• 9:30-10, go to bed
• do it all over again...

and we wouldn't have it any other way!

starting solids

according to chuck, rice cereal does not count as a solid.  the consistency was runny; as it is supposed to be in the early stages, and more closely resembled a liquid than a solid, BUT...in baby food world.  we have started solids.  i guess it was anti climatic for some of our family, because I didn't translate the vision properly.  chuck was thinking:

when all he got was:

i stalled on the food front.  several other babies in her class are eating food.  depending on what you read, somewhere between 4-6 months is the right time.  we are a little over 5 months, and i decided we were ready.  c was definitely ready, she took it like a champ.  sure, she spit it all over the place, but by the time we finished with the first serving, i think she was actually swallowing some.  my plan is to keep with the rice cereal for another couple of weeks, and then transition into fruits and veggies around 6 months.  we will see how this goes...it does add a whole other layer of STUFF (bowls to wash, high chairs to clean, bibs to wash, sticky baby to wipe, groceries to buy...).

we tried the sippy cup with water last week also...not sure how successful we were there.  she's gonna need some practice...and patience.

in other news...we had a mini photo shoot for memorial day after we spent most of the day outside.  c stayed in her tent we bought to use at the beach; you could say this was a trial run for the heat...it was HOT! she did pretty well...the wet rag bonnet was a hit.

look at those curls..i'm in trouble