This is a line from a song by Point of Grace, my favorite band throughout elementary school. This song I have always loved because no matter what stage of life we are in, it's always true.
We are going through some changes this week...something I need to get used to as a parent. It's tough when we don't know what to do because we've never been down this road before and can't totally look for advice elsewhere because every baby is different and no one knows Carly like we do. Brian and I are fairly good problem-solvers and a great team, but this particular issue has got us stumped. You see, Carly has decided that it is no longer a necessity to sleep during the day. Something that is not okay on a developmental or physical level. Yesterday she slept 60 minutes total in a 12 hour period. When she started having super long awake periods last week we thought that would easily translate into longer naps, but that has not been the case. Naps have become even shorter than they were, and already she seemed to be "world's shortest napper." All of her baby sitters and the moms that I know who also have young kids agree that she doesn't take long enough naps. But we all tossed it up to the fact that she was sleeping so long at night. Well she has cut off 2 hours of sleep each night and still isn't napping. Yesterday I bet she slept 10 hours total in a 24 hour period...maybe less. We've read and tried so many suggestions but none of them have worked. So, what do we do? I don't know.
The other thing that is difficult about the situation is that because she is awake for so long, it comes time to feed her before she has slept. So then, of course, she wants to take a nap while eating. So I can't get a full feeding in her because she is sleeping and I can't get her to sleep because she is hungry. Grr! It can sometimes take us over an hour to feed because of the amount of times I have to take her off and wake her up. I will try to put her down gently and let her finish her nap but she wakes up SCREAMING because she is still hungry. I'm sure all of you reading this have some thoughts about it or things you think we should try...but I bet you we've already tried it. ALL research that I have read points to the fact that nursing a baby to sleep is not healthy. In fact, I bet you wouldn't even be able to find a study in support of nursing a baby to sleep. Doing that creates poor eating habits, poor sleeping habits and does not encourage independence. So as nice as it would be in this moment for her to just sleep while she is suckling, it will damage her down the road.
On a happy note, she has been fun to play with this week and continues to be pretty easy to take places (expect to a sit down dinner...that is NOT fun). She is enjoying learning that she can make different sounds with her mouth and we enjoy making kissing noises to each other. Also, when we put our face next to hers and ask for a kiss she will turn her head, open her mouth and place it on our cheek. So cute! She loves it when we play with her legs and arms, asking how big she is or how much we love her and then putting her arms over her head or out to the side and saying "so big!" or "this much!" She is on the verge of giggling and has done it a couple of times for Brian. We're excited for that to happen. She has a new trick of standing ALL BY HERSELF while leaning on something. I swear...my three month seriously can stand by herself if we lean her up against something like her play gym for about 5-10 seconds. She thinks its SUPER interesting. On the one hand I don't like encouraging that but on the other I love making her happy, and standing is most certainly her favorite pass time. ;)
The "big" events that took place in Carly's life this week was that she went to the mall for the first time and entered a Walt Disney World park for the 10th time in her life. She is always happy when we are there and can usually fall asleep while we walk around. Funny thing, though, she won't fall asleep if we are just walking through our neighborhood (see...I told you we've tried everything). I guess she needs all the people to look at when in the parks.
Carly is so happy when she is on a schedule of eat, play, sleep...and sleeps well at night that way, too. I hope she chooses to get back to that sooner rather than later! We (mainly me) are getting a bit desperate for her to be back on a schedule. She just thrives on, plain and simple.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
"Good Times Never Seemed So Good"
This past week has been a lot of ups and downs in the Weiss household. For me, personally, I am trying to find balance and contentment. I really love all the components of our life: I love my job and I enjoy working, I am grateful for a home that isn't burdensome on our wallet each month, an amazing daughter who I just can't get enough of, two reliable cars that also don't burn a whole in our pocket (although I think we did just put $400 into the Impala...came out from work at 1am last week with a flat tire--rim touching cement--turns out the alignment was WAY off and tires that had 20k miles left on them needed to be replaced...but we don't need to talk about how frightening that was), sunny weather (it's HOT here), lots to do with Disney just down the road, etc, etc. BUT, the kicker for me is that although each component of our life is great, somehow it doesn't all work together the way I wished it did. But that's where I need to be content. I want to love the stage that we are in...someday I will likely look back on this time of our lives and wish I could come back. I just find myself yearning for the normalcy that so many families have. It's been two years since we had a weekend off (not including vacations) and two years since we've had a holiday off (minus Easter this year). I know there are plenty of families who are in the same boat as us year after year, but not the families I grew up surrounded by. It's tough not being able to have outings with other families on a Saturday afternoon, and especially hard to go to church alone each week. Sometimes I just don't go because it makes me too sad. It's always been hard going 3 days without seeing Brian, and each week I wish we had a few more evenings together. I wish we could put Carly to bed at 8pm like normal families and have an hour to spend as a couple, but if we did that we would be sabotaging my ability to perform at a level I need to at work (because let's face it, she can't get up everyday at 5am when I don't got to sleep until 2am). Contentment. I'm working on it.
Miss Carly has also had kind of a crazy week. I measured her this morning and she is 25 inches long and 12 pounds (although I'm probably not as accurate as the doctor)! Goodbye to more clothes! She has been a tough cookie this week. Nap time isn't going near as smoothly as it did last week. She is fighting and screaming every time we lay her down. What's the deal, hunny?! For 3 weeks she went down like a champ and now she decides she doesn't want to? Also...the 10 hour nights have gone bye-bye for the time being. I know they will come back, but the last 3 nights have only been 8 hour nights. Bummer. We have increased the amount of milk we give her before bedtime but that doesn't seem to make a difference. Being the parent of a newborn is so much trial and error! Another change is that all of a sudden she is fine in the car. Every time we've been in the car this week (which as been a lot) she has fallen asleep before we even get onto the interstate. I just don't get it. The other thing that has thrown us off is her ability to be smiling one second and burst into tears the next. It's a new cry...not tired, not hungry, not a bored whine. We think it just means that she is tired of looking at us and needs some time alone. Still, though, its weird. So this week has been a bit frustrating but that's part of having a baby. I'm sure next week we will settle into a new phase and run with that for a few weeks until she changes it again.
But there really have been more "ups" than "downs" this week. We have had a little adventure every day. Monday we just hung out before I went to work, Tuesday Daddy was home so that was the day we celebrated our anniversary (Oh...I have to say...Brian's Uncle Dick & Aunt Crystal had sent us a card, too...I just hadn't been on my email to see it...so Brian's family officially rocks at remembering special occasions), Wednesday we went to Adam & Amanda's for small group and met a new couple who is having a little boy in September! Thursday we had a play date with some gals from church. Here is Carly with her friend, Issac. Issac was born 9 days after Carly, and his mom (Jenny) and I looked like twins during our pregnancy (I've attached a picture of Jenny and I when we were 36 & 38 weeks pregnant):
Friday we got meet Brian for lunch at Disney's newest resort opening at the end of this month, Art of Animation. It was AWESOME! Disney is so fabulous. Anyway...they handed out tickets to the property executives as the resort was doing a trial run on food & service before they officially open and because Brian's area received 2nd place in the guest satisfaction reports his boss gave him two lunch vouchers.
Today our big outing was the first time that I took Carly to the grocery store...alone. Every time she has gone in the past we have both been there and every time she has had a complete meltdown and we've had to take her outside. I was so nervous but we needed groceries really bad and since Brian golfed ALL day on Wednesday (yes...you can all remind him how great of a wife I am that I let him play from 7am-6pm that day) I didn't have a chance to get them. Well...it was a success! I made it in and out in record time, practically running up and down the aisles. $120 spent in 27 minutes! Success! Good job, Carly Bear!
Carly has really started grabbing at things, including my hair, her clothes, toys, etc. Here she is in her cute little dress and bloomers pulling her shirt up and sucking on it.
My favorite "up" from this week is that Carly has started chatting up a storm! She has different tones and sometimes is more aggressive with her talking and others very gentle. She talks all the time and we just can't get enough of it. Here are two videos. Sometimes the camera isn't fully on her face, and that's because if she sees the iPod she gets distracted and will stop talking. So I have to hold it on the side and apparently my hand drifts sometimes. :)
So there is our week in a nutshell. I must say that I really do love our life. We are really happy here, happy together and happy as a family. We also continue to miss our extended families, the day to day activities that we would see them at, and of course, holidays. But we aren't ready to give up the adventure that we are on here. I love being with Carly and know that as she grows I will get more alone time with Brian. We are so blessed and our life is "So good! So good! So good!"
Miss Carly has also had kind of a crazy week. I measured her this morning and she is 25 inches long and 12 pounds (although I'm probably not as accurate as the doctor)! Goodbye to more clothes! She has been a tough cookie this week. Nap time isn't going near as smoothly as it did last week. She is fighting and screaming every time we lay her down. What's the deal, hunny?! For 3 weeks she went down like a champ and now she decides she doesn't want to? Also...the 10 hour nights have gone bye-bye for the time being. I know they will come back, but the last 3 nights have only been 8 hour nights. Bummer. We have increased the amount of milk we give her before bedtime but that doesn't seem to make a difference. Being the parent of a newborn is so much trial and error! Another change is that all of a sudden she is fine in the car. Every time we've been in the car this week (which as been a lot) she has fallen asleep before we even get onto the interstate. I just don't get it. The other thing that has thrown us off is her ability to be smiling one second and burst into tears the next. It's a new cry...not tired, not hungry, not a bored whine. We think it just means that she is tired of looking at us and needs some time alone. Still, though, its weird. So this week has been a bit frustrating but that's part of having a baby. I'm sure next week we will settle into a new phase and run with that for a few weeks until she changes it again.
But there really have been more "ups" than "downs" this week. We have had a little adventure every day. Monday we just hung out before I went to work, Tuesday Daddy was home so that was the day we celebrated our anniversary (Oh...I have to say...Brian's Uncle Dick & Aunt Crystal had sent us a card, too...I just hadn't been on my email to see it...so Brian's family officially rocks at remembering special occasions), Wednesday we went to Adam & Amanda's for small group and met a new couple who is having a little boy in September! Thursday we had a play date with some gals from church. Here is Carly with her friend, Issac. Issac was born 9 days after Carly, and his mom (Jenny) and I looked like twins during our pregnancy (I've attached a picture of Jenny and I when we were 36 & 38 weeks pregnant):
Friday we got meet Brian for lunch at Disney's newest resort opening at the end of this month, Art of Animation. It was AWESOME! Disney is so fabulous. Anyway...they handed out tickets to the property executives as the resort was doing a trial run on food & service before they officially open and because Brian's area received 2nd place in the guest satisfaction reports his boss gave him two lunch vouchers.
Today our big outing was the first time that I took Carly to the grocery store...alone. Every time she has gone in the past we have both been there and every time she has had a complete meltdown and we've had to take her outside. I was so nervous but we needed groceries really bad and since Brian golfed ALL day on Wednesday (yes...you can all remind him how great of a wife I am that I let him play from 7am-6pm that day) I didn't have a chance to get them. Well...it was a success! I made it in and out in record time, practically running up and down the aisles. $120 spent in 27 minutes! Success! Good job, Carly Bear!
Carly has really started grabbing at things, including my hair, her clothes, toys, etc. Here she is in her cute little dress and bloomers pulling her shirt up and sucking on it.
My favorite "up" from this week is that Carly has started chatting up a storm! She has different tones and sometimes is more aggressive with her talking and others very gentle. She talks all the time and we just can't get enough of it. Here are two videos. Sometimes the camera isn't fully on her face, and that's because if she sees the iPod she gets distracted and will stop talking. So I have to hold it on the side and apparently my hand drifts sometimes. :)
So there is our week in a nutshell. I must say that I really do love our life. We are really happy here, happy together and happy as a family. We also continue to miss our extended families, the day to day activities that we would see them at, and of course, holidays. But we aren't ready to give up the adventure that we are on here. I love being with Carly and know that as she grows I will get more alone time with Brian. We are so blessed and our life is "So good! So good! So good!"
Friday, May 25, 2012
"You Are Mine"
This is a beautiful song my Grandma told us we needed to listen to as
a possible bedtime song for Carly. It's written by the a Capella
group, Go Fish, which is a wonderful group! We love their songs and
Carly seems to enjoy them as well. I generally play the CD when we are
in the car and she responds better to their music than to the radio.
You should really listen to it if you get the chance, but here are the
lyrics:
I totally cried the first 5 times I heard it! Brian and I both sing it to her a little bit at night now. Maybe it will stick, maybe not.
Speaking of things that are "mine" I have to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Brian! We have been married 3 years as of May 22nd! So many of our friends sent us texts throughout the day wishing us a happy day, but funny thing is that the only family member who remembered was Brian's Aunt Paula! Thanks for the card!! I am so thankful for the incredible man God made just for me and am grateful for the life we have established together. We've known each other for 11 years and dated 8 and a half of those years. We have done a thousand fun things together and I look forward to the millions more! On our first anniversary we decided that each year we would go to a fancy restaurant to have a super nice meal together (something we don't do often). Well...this year I just told Brian to forget about it. I wasn't about to get a babysitter and I knew we wouldn't be able to go to a nice restaurant with a baby. But...Brian decided to make it special anyway by marinating some steak overnight and grilling for us that day before I had to go to work. It was a lovely meal and I was thankful that he made the day fun despite not being able to do what we had planned. We are hoping we can still go out together while his parents or my parents are here over the next 3 weeks. :)
I intended to write more of an update on Carly today...but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Instead you can have a picture and wish you could kiss those cheeks!!!
Your busy day is at an end
Its time to go to sleep again
Before your dreams take you away
hear me when I say...
You are mine, I will never leave you
I will see you through the night,
and be here in the morning
Close your eyes,
have a good time dreaming
Knowing you will never be alone....
You are mine
Everyday, I see you grow
And as you do, I hope you know
That time brings change
and that's okay
Cuz one thing will remain...
It's time to sleep, so close your eyes
And let the stars shine from the sky
Up above God is watching you
And singing to you too.
He's saying...
I totally cried the first 5 times I heard it! Brian and I both sing it to her a little bit at night now. Maybe it will stick, maybe not.
Speaking of things that are "mine" I have to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Brian! We have been married 3 years as of May 22nd! So many of our friends sent us texts throughout the day wishing us a happy day, but funny thing is that the only family member who remembered was Brian's Aunt Paula! Thanks for the card!! I am so thankful for the incredible man God made just for me and am grateful for the life we have established together. We've known each other for 11 years and dated 8 and a half of those years. We have done a thousand fun things together and I look forward to the millions more! On our first anniversary we decided that each year we would go to a fancy restaurant to have a super nice meal together (something we don't do often). Well...this year I just told Brian to forget about it. I wasn't about to get a babysitter and I knew we wouldn't be able to go to a nice restaurant with a baby. But...Brian decided to make it special anyway by marinating some steak overnight and grilling for us that day before I had to go to work. It was a lovely meal and I was thankful that he made the day fun despite not being able to do what we had planned. We are hoping we can still go out together while his parents or my parents are here over the next 3 weeks. :)
I intended to write more of an update on Carly today...but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Instead you can have a picture and wish you could kiss those cheeks!!!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
"A Friend's a Friend Forever...if the Lord's the Lord of Them"
The past week has been a wonderful week as Anna was in town visiting! We picked her up on Monday just in time for her to babysit Carly while I went to work and then she and Brian hung out that night. On Tuesday they came to visit me at DTD and we ate at Macaroni Grill then walked around a bit. Wednesday we explored Magic Kingdom and EPCOT before getting caught in the rain. We ate at Sonny's BBQ that night...somewhere we've taken nearly everyone who has visited us! Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios and grilled chicken at home and Friday we went for a long walk before heading to the airport. It was GREAT having her here and getting to spend quality time together. We figured out that we were celebrating 15 years of friendship, 6 of which has been "long distance." She has always been my best friend and I imagine she always will be. :) She, of course, was fantastic with Carly! I wish we lived closer...but I'll probably always wish that! She inspired me to be a little bit more serious about my eating habits...so I have to say I've improved on that since you have been gone, Anna!
Speaking of weight...it's SO frustrating to have not lost more than 5 pounds in the last 12 weeks! EVERYONE said nursing would help...you were all wrong! It hasn't helped at all. I actually read that for many women their body holds onto the fat in order to produce the milk, then lets it go once you're done. Maybe that will be the case...but I doubt it. Plus, that will be a long time from now because I think I'll nurse her for a while yet. At any rate, it's been way harder than I thought it would be. Oh well.
Carly had a nice growth spurt the past week and all she did was eat and sleep! She is back on her regular schedule now but doesn't seem to be taking too many more ounces. I have read that they should be drinking ounces based on this formula: [WEIGHT (X) 2.5]/# OF FEEDINGS PER DAY. So Carly now weighs 10.5-11 pounds which would mean she is drinking 26-27 ounces per day which means she drinks 4 ounces per feeding. I actually think she is getting a different amount of milk each feeding, but that it adds up to 26 ounces per day. For example, I think her first feeding is at least 5 ounces.
One thing that concerns us slightly is her length of naps. She wont sleep much longer than 35 minutes, which for a 3 month old baby that is fairly uncommon. I called our doctor to see what he had to say and he pretty much just said every baby is different and that I shouldn't be worried. We don't go in for another month so maybe it will have changed by then. It's so interesting how much her "routine" changes from week to week. One week she will be an angel about taking naps and the next she will fight it tooth and nail. For the past 2 months she has been going down great at night, no tears or anything...just drifts off into her dreams...then all of sudden this week when Brian would lay her down she would burst out wailing! Silly girl.
Speaking of weight...it's SO frustrating to have not lost more than 5 pounds in the last 12 weeks! EVERYONE said nursing would help...you were all wrong! It hasn't helped at all. I actually read that for many women their body holds onto the fat in order to produce the milk, then lets it go once you're done. Maybe that will be the case...but I doubt it. Plus, that will be a long time from now because I think I'll nurse her for a while yet. At any rate, it's been way harder than I thought it would be. Oh well.
Carly had a nice growth spurt the past week and all she did was eat and sleep! She is back on her regular schedule now but doesn't seem to be taking too many more ounces. I have read that they should be drinking ounces based on this formula: [WEIGHT (X) 2.5]/# OF FEEDINGS PER DAY. So Carly now weighs 10.5-11 pounds which would mean she is drinking 26-27 ounces per day which means she drinks 4 ounces per feeding. I actually think she is getting a different amount of milk each feeding, but that it adds up to 26 ounces per day. For example, I think her first feeding is at least 5 ounces.
One thing that concerns us slightly is her length of naps. She wont sleep much longer than 35 minutes, which for a 3 month old baby that is fairly uncommon. I called our doctor to see what he had to say and he pretty much just said every baby is different and that I shouldn't be worried. We don't go in for another month so maybe it will have changed by then. It's so interesting how much her "routine" changes from week to week. One week she will be an angel about taking naps and the next she will fight it tooth and nail. For the past 2 months she has been going down great at night, no tears or anything...just drifts off into her dreams...then all of sudden this week when Brian would lay her down she would burst out wailing! Silly girl.
Friday, May 18, 2012
"These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" {3 Months}
Today our wonderful little girl is 3 months old! She is doing better than ever and I love everything about her.
She is a great little girl and we can see she is full of spirit! She loves to explore and play, needs to be cooed and smiled at, but also needs to have alone time. She's the perfect mix of Brian and I and we see that all the time. She loves to be held but does in fact need to be set down. She is a good sport about things like getting dressed and changing her diaper, but chooses to throw fits about being in the car. She absolutely loves to be sang to and more and more we see her chiming in. She loves the outdoors and is perfectly content being strapped to one of us while gallivanting around. She smiles all the time and is not only rolling over on a daily basis but has started to scoot across whatever surface she's on. She has big, beautiful eyes and opens them as wide as they will go!
She loves to look at herself in the mirror and will chat up a storm when there. We should get it on film, really, because the way she moves and talks while looking at herself in the mirror is fascinating! If she's being fussy, playing in the mirror, bouncing on the ball or putting her feet in water should do the trick of entertaining her. She needs white noise when she sleeps and startles easily to loud noises. She loves to snuggle with her mommy, and we take a snugly nap together in the mornings a couple times a week. I will miss that SO much when she grows out of it. She enjoys being stimulated but will have a meltdown if we take it too far. She loves to hang in the air and giggles when we bring her down and give her a smooch on her neck. She wants to be everywhere we are and is a good sport about me carrying her around on my hip
(facing out) while I do chores. She likes to touch things and can bat at something above her head every now and then. We've been reading her touchy-feely books and she likes to touch the soft things and pulls her hand away from the scratchy things. She LOVES bright colors and still loves circles and lines. She enjoys hanging out on her changing table and wakes up crying from naps. She gets excited to see her daddy in the evenings and is a champ at being put to bed for the night. She can put herself back to sleep in the middle of the night and is going to have strong ab muscles with the amount of leg raises she does in that swaddle! She is maturing every day, before our very eyes. I'm convinced sometimes she knows what we are saying and certainly understands our tone. I talk to her all day long when I'm with her and try to explain everything I'm doing. I never knew I could know a baby so well. :)
Some funnier things about Carly at 3 months old is her preference to be in a squatting or sitting position while making a bowel movement (I think that will transition us nicely to potty training in a few years), and the sleep smiles she gives when she is past exhaustion. She attacks her food as if she's gone days without eating. When she is done eating she wants to suckle for a while and fully desires to be in control of when she is done. Sometimes when I know she is done I will pull her off and she will start crying so I'll put her back on and literally 30 seconds later she will unlatch, look up at me and grin. I think she does that just to let me know that she is in control and will choose when its play time verses suckle time.
There you have a random bundle of facts about Carly! We love watching her grow, learn and change and each month has been our favorite! Although I will say that I will try to enjoy the first month more with the next babes. :)
Two things that highlight her maturity:
1. That she doesn't cry for her needs as much these days, but has this cry/talk. It's hard to describe and maybe I should get it on film, but she opens and closes her mouth like she's talking and makes a noise I can best describe in writing as "wow-uh, wow-uh, wow-uh" (kind of like in Charlie Brown). It's used in a whiny timbre but it is not a cry. If we don't give her what she needs she will all of a sudden transition into a very loud "whaa!" but gives us a chance to help her by asking before demanding. ;)
2. A few days ago I talked about us working on her nap routine. I am so proud of how she has taken not bouncing on the ball in stride! Now we can just lay her in her crib on her left side facing the wall, put her pacifier in her mouth, rub her back and make "shush-ING" noises. The first week it took a good 10 minutes of standing there but sometimes now we can lay her down and only have to rub her back for 90 seconds. She knows that she wants to sleep and now knows that once we lay her down and stick that paci in her mouth she can get her rest. That is the only time she takes her paci and we are fine with that! She still only takes about 6-8 half hour naps per day, but that's alright. Soon enough we will transition to 3 long naps (or maybe only two at the rate she's going).
So far, for every pound she gains, she also grows an inch! She just can't keep up with herself. She weighs about 10.5 pounds and is 24 inches long. Anyone who has met her knows, she burns more calories than the average baby! She just NEVER stops moving. We love that! She has started her big 3-month growth spurt RIGHT on track, as today she has needed food every 2 hours if not sooner.
Here are a few pictures to show our sweet girly at 3 months old and those big, beautiful, blue eyes!
Carly also grew out of a lot of her clothes this week and graduated into size 1 diapers! They are much larger and better contain her waste. :)
Carly Bear, you are a joy to be with and every morning when you wake we can't wait to go into your room and swoop you up. Thank you for making our lives so fulfilling!
She is a great little girl and we can see she is full of spirit! She loves to explore and play, needs to be cooed and smiled at, but also needs to have alone time. She's the perfect mix of Brian and I and we see that all the time. She loves to be held but does in fact need to be set down. She is a good sport about things like getting dressed and changing her diaper, but chooses to throw fits about being in the car. She absolutely loves to be sang to and more and more we see her chiming in. She loves the outdoors and is perfectly content being strapped to one of us while gallivanting around. She smiles all the time and is not only rolling over on a daily basis but has started to scoot across whatever surface she's on. She has big, beautiful eyes and opens them as wide as they will go!
She loves to look at herself in the mirror and will chat up a storm when there. We should get it on film, really, because the way she moves and talks while looking at herself in the mirror is fascinating! If she's being fussy, playing in the mirror, bouncing on the ball or putting her feet in water should do the trick of entertaining her. She needs white noise when she sleeps and startles easily to loud noises. She loves to snuggle with her mommy, and we take a snugly nap together in the mornings a couple times a week. I will miss that SO much when she grows out of it. She enjoys being stimulated but will have a meltdown if we take it too far. She loves to hang in the air and giggles when we bring her down and give her a smooch on her neck. She wants to be everywhere we are and is a good sport about me carrying her around on my hip
(facing out) while I do chores. She likes to touch things and can bat at something above her head every now and then. We've been reading her touchy-feely books and she likes to touch the soft things and pulls her hand away from the scratchy things. She LOVES bright colors and still loves circles and lines. She enjoys hanging out on her changing table and wakes up crying from naps. She gets excited to see her daddy in the evenings and is a champ at being put to bed for the night. She can put herself back to sleep in the middle of the night and is going to have strong ab muscles with the amount of leg raises she does in that swaddle! She is maturing every day, before our very eyes. I'm convinced sometimes she knows what we are saying and certainly understands our tone. I talk to her all day long when I'm with her and try to explain everything I'm doing. I never knew I could know a baby so well. :)
Some funnier things about Carly at 3 months old is her preference to be in a squatting or sitting position while making a bowel movement (I think that will transition us nicely to potty training in a few years), and the sleep smiles she gives when she is past exhaustion. She attacks her food as if she's gone days without eating. When she is done eating she wants to suckle for a while and fully desires to be in control of when she is done. Sometimes when I know she is done I will pull her off and she will start crying so I'll put her back on and literally 30 seconds later she will unlatch, look up at me and grin. I think she does that just to let me know that she is in control and will choose when its play time verses suckle time.
There you have a random bundle of facts about Carly! We love watching her grow, learn and change and each month has been our favorite! Although I will say that I will try to enjoy the first month more with the next babes. :)
Two things that highlight her maturity:
1. That she doesn't cry for her needs as much these days, but has this cry/talk. It's hard to describe and maybe I should get it on film, but she opens and closes her mouth like she's talking and makes a noise I can best describe in writing as "wow-uh, wow-uh, wow-uh" (kind of like in Charlie Brown). It's used in a whiny timbre but it is not a cry. If we don't give her what she needs she will all of a sudden transition into a very loud "whaa!" but gives us a chance to help her by asking before demanding. ;)
2. A few days ago I talked about us working on her nap routine. I am so proud of how she has taken not bouncing on the ball in stride! Now we can just lay her in her crib on her left side facing the wall, put her pacifier in her mouth, rub her back and make "shush-ING" noises. The first week it took a good 10 minutes of standing there but sometimes now we can lay her down and only have to rub her back for 90 seconds. She knows that she wants to sleep and now knows that once we lay her down and stick that paci in her mouth she can get her rest. That is the only time she takes her paci and we are fine with that! She still only takes about 6-8 half hour naps per day, but that's alright. Soon enough we will transition to 3 long naps (or maybe only two at the rate she's going).
So far, for every pound she gains, she also grows an inch! She just can't keep up with herself. She weighs about 10.5 pounds and is 24 inches long. Anyone who has met her knows, she burns more calories than the average baby! She just NEVER stops moving. We love that! She has started her big 3-month growth spurt RIGHT on track, as today she has needed food every 2 hours if not sooner.
Here are a few pictures to show our sweet girly at 3 months old and those big, beautiful, blue eyes!
Carly also grew out of a lot of her clothes this week and graduated into size 1 diapers! They are much larger and better contain her waste. :)
Carly Bear, you are a joy to be with and every morning when you wake we can't wait to go into your room and swoop you up. Thank you for making our lives so fulfilling!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
"Blessed"
I have been so blessed by God my entire life. Big blessings, small blessings, I feel blessed on a daily basis.
Psalm 103:17 says,
"But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children.
I don't know two people who have been more faithful to the Lord than my grandparents, and I know I am reaping the benefits of that. I start out by saying that today because I'm just so thankful for our life here. I have an incredible husband, a house I love, two reliable cars, wonderful jobs, a loving church family, a steady paycheck, and now, a beautiful daughter. What more could I possibly want? Oh ya...to live closer to family. But, it's okay...that time will come. We are blessed to have their support from a distance, and blessed that our families have the means to come visit.
What brings the topic of "blessings" to mind is that for the past 2 weeks Carly has been sleeping 10 hour nights. I know it's totally crazy for a 12-week old to do that, but I know that its God's blessing to me. He is allowing me to come home from work and still get 6 hours of sleep, something He knows I need in order to function properly. Carly's bedtime is fairly late for a child, but it works for her and works for our crazy schedule. I SO desire the normalcy that so many families have, the normalcy of putting their child to bed and spending a few hours as a couple, then all getting up in the morning to start the day, but that is not our life right now. I think someday it will be, but in this particular season it is not. Also, I don't know very many moms who work until 1am every night, but that is the trade-off for not having to put Carly in daycare. At least I'm only in my mid-twenties and can handle a crazy schedule!
Carly has been needing 10 hours of sleep each night for a while now, but she was getting up at 5am to eat. I told Brian that at some point she would just sleep through that feeding and not need it anymore. Two days before I started back to work, she decided to give it up. Coincidence? I think not! Praise God for His everlasting sovereignty and His peace which transcends all understanding. Carly sleeping through the night is a blessing and a gift. There's just no other explanation.
The other major blessing is the milk supply I've been able to grow and maintain. I developed some major insecurities about my production when Carly lost so much weight at the beginning, and am still very sensitive to people commenting on her weight. She is a dainty girl and from what our doctor can tell she is not going to be one of those chubby babies. But he's fine with that and so am I! Every time we go in for a check-up he says, "well, she checks out perfectly!" But still, the first 10 weeks of Carly's life I called my mom every week just to hear her say that I had enough milk and that Carly was thriving. It's so wonderful to have therapists for parents. I need constant encouragement, and that has always been one of my mom's roles in my life. I am happy to report that I no longer am worrying about it! I am over producing by 2 bottles per day and am keeping up with what she is eating while I'm at work just fine. I have a large freezer supply and could probably be gone nearly a week! I've always wanted to nurse her for a year, and didn't want to start formula until at least 6 months. Well we will most certainly accomplish both of those things by the grace of God. I might not even have to introduce formula at all. We shall see.
I have a big update to give on Carly...turning 3 months old tomorrow! So I will wait and post that for her 3-month birthday. :) I will leave you by thanking your for your support and prayers and with a beautiful smile from our girl!
PS-I think I should start a competition to see if anyone can name the artist of the song I use for my blog titles. Believe it or not they are all song titles or lines from songs. :)
Psalm 103:17 says,
"But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children.
I don't know two people who have been more faithful to the Lord than my grandparents, and I know I am reaping the benefits of that. I start out by saying that today because I'm just so thankful for our life here. I have an incredible husband, a house I love, two reliable cars, wonderful jobs, a loving church family, a steady paycheck, and now, a beautiful daughter. What more could I possibly want? Oh ya...to live closer to family. But, it's okay...that time will come. We are blessed to have their support from a distance, and blessed that our families have the means to come visit.
What brings the topic of "blessings" to mind is that for the past 2 weeks Carly has been sleeping 10 hour nights. I know it's totally crazy for a 12-week old to do that, but I know that its God's blessing to me. He is allowing me to come home from work and still get 6 hours of sleep, something He knows I need in order to function properly. Carly's bedtime is fairly late for a child, but it works for her and works for our crazy schedule. I SO desire the normalcy that so many families have, the normalcy of putting their child to bed and spending a few hours as a couple, then all getting up in the morning to start the day, but that is not our life right now. I think someday it will be, but in this particular season it is not. Also, I don't know very many moms who work until 1am every night, but that is the trade-off for not having to put Carly in daycare. At least I'm only in my mid-twenties and can handle a crazy schedule!
Carly has been needing 10 hours of sleep each night for a while now, but she was getting up at 5am to eat. I told Brian that at some point she would just sleep through that feeding and not need it anymore. Two days before I started back to work, she decided to give it up. Coincidence? I think not! Praise God for His everlasting sovereignty and His peace which transcends all understanding. Carly sleeping through the night is a blessing and a gift. There's just no other explanation.
The other major blessing is the milk supply I've been able to grow and maintain. I developed some major insecurities about my production when Carly lost so much weight at the beginning, and am still very sensitive to people commenting on her weight. She is a dainty girl and from what our doctor can tell she is not going to be one of those chubby babies. But he's fine with that and so am I! Every time we go in for a check-up he says, "well, she checks out perfectly!" But still, the first 10 weeks of Carly's life I called my mom every week just to hear her say that I had enough milk and that Carly was thriving. It's so wonderful to have therapists for parents. I need constant encouragement, and that has always been one of my mom's roles in my life. I am happy to report that I no longer am worrying about it! I am over producing by 2 bottles per day and am keeping up with what she is eating while I'm at work just fine. I have a large freezer supply and could probably be gone nearly a week! I've always wanted to nurse her for a year, and didn't want to start formula until at least 6 months. Well we will most certainly accomplish both of those things by the grace of God. I might not even have to introduce formula at all. We shall see.
I have a big update to give on Carly...turning 3 months old tomorrow! So I will wait and post that for her 3-month birthday. :) I will leave you by thanking your for your support and prayers and with a beautiful smile from our girl!
PS-I think I should start a competition to see if anyone can name the artist of the song I use for my blog titles. Believe it or not they are all song titles or lines from songs. :)
Sunday, May 13, 2012
"R-O-C-K in the U-S-A"
Happy Mothers Day!! This is my very first Mothers Day...in fact...last Mothers Day I had NO IDEA I would be celebrated this year! Funny thing, isn't it? Well...Brian kissed me goodbye this morning and when Carly woke up we had some great snuggle time! Then we played and took a good long snuggle nap together! It was so wonderful that I didn't want to wake us up when the time came. I had a terrible night sleep last night so it was nice to have a nap before my long 3 days ahead. This afternoon I strapped Carly to the Bjorn and we did some cleaning and tonight after Daddy gets home they will come to DTD to eat dinner with me! Sounds like as good of a day as it can be keeping in mind our schedules. Other than that I will recap the great week we had!
This past week we had two of my favorite people visit us in the sunshine state. Trey and Tiff were great guests and it was fun to spend time with my siblings!! This is the first time the three of us had done something together without our parents around. Crazy, right? But think about it...how often do all siblings in a family get together without parents?
They arrived late Thursday night and we spent all day Friday just relaxing. We went grocery shopping and rented some movies, made cookies, laid on the couch and played with miss Carlita (as Tiff calls her). Saturday we decided to venture over to Hollywood Studios and it was my first time riding a ROCKIN ROLLER COASTER in a year! Here's a super cute pic of the us girls...and one including Uncle Trey.
Tiff wore the Baby Bjorn all day...and thought it was pretty cool (well, minus the fact that in 90 degree heat it's also super hot. Don't worry...we took Carly out plenty of times so she wouldn't overheat). Here's a photo of Carly taking one of her naps. Babies think the most odd looking positions are comfortable!
We walked from DHS to the Boardwalk and met Brian at Beaches'N'Cream for the Kitchen Sink! If your wondering, we most certainly finished it!
I think the above picture is really neat. It shows just how much Carly loves to stand up! Once she figures out she can do that on her own there will be no turning back. I bet she will be walking by Christmas (although I am totally okay if she waits until her first birthday). Trey & Tiff are both looking at schools right now for after they graduate (Tiff from HS and Trey from college), so who knows, maybe they will end up in Florida? :)
Sunday we went to church, came home and had lunch (thanks, Trey, for making delicious fajitas since I wouldn't stop holding Carly), they babysat and I went to work. I don't really know what they did that evening...but I'm sure they had fun with Brian.
Monday was more hanging out, then more babysitting. After Brian got off work they jumped in the car and came to have dinner with me at DTD. We ate at one of our favorite restaurants there, Raglan Road. I got to nurse Carly (pumping at work really stinks) and then show her off a bit.
Tuesday morning Trey & Tiff headed to one of Disney's water parks, Typhoon Lagoon. They had a blast and it was really nice to get to hang out alone with Brian and Carly. I never realized how much of an introvert I am until we started hosting people for days at a time. I love spending time with friends and family, but I need a few hours of alone time here and there (and by alone time, that means time with Brian and Carly...I don't usually need time ALL by myself...that's the extravert part of me). I went to work before they got home and they left early Wednesday morning, so I really didn't see them after Monday afternoon. I was sad about that, but we had a great first few days together.
Thanks for coming, guys! Please come back soon! :)
This past week we had two of my favorite people visit us in the sunshine state. Trey and Tiff were great guests and it was fun to spend time with my siblings!! This is the first time the three of us had done something together without our parents around. Crazy, right? But think about it...how often do all siblings in a family get together without parents?
They arrived late Thursday night and we spent all day Friday just relaxing. We went grocery shopping and rented some movies, made cookies, laid on the couch and played with miss Carlita (as Tiff calls her). Saturday we decided to venture over to Hollywood Studios and it was my first time riding a ROCKIN ROLLER COASTER in a year! Here's a super cute pic of the us girls...and one including Uncle Trey.
Tiff wore the Baby Bjorn all day...and thought it was pretty cool (well, minus the fact that in 90 degree heat it's also super hot. Don't worry...we took Carly out plenty of times so she wouldn't overheat). Here's a photo of Carly taking one of her naps. Babies think the most odd looking positions are comfortable!
We walked from DHS to the Boardwalk and met Brian at Beaches'N'Cream for the Kitchen Sink! If your wondering, we most certainly finished it!
I think the above picture is really neat. It shows just how much Carly loves to stand up! Once she figures out she can do that on her own there will be no turning back. I bet she will be walking by Christmas (although I am totally okay if she waits until her first birthday). Trey & Tiff are both looking at schools right now for after they graduate (Tiff from HS and Trey from college), so who knows, maybe they will end up in Florida? :)
Sunday we went to church, came home and had lunch (thanks, Trey, for making delicious fajitas since I wouldn't stop holding Carly), they babysat and I went to work. I don't really know what they did that evening...but I'm sure they had fun with Brian.
Monday was more hanging out, then more babysitting. After Brian got off work they jumped in the car and came to have dinner with me at DTD. We ate at one of our favorite restaurants there, Raglan Road. I got to nurse Carly (pumping at work really stinks) and then show her off a bit.
Tuesday morning Trey & Tiff headed to one of Disney's water parks, Typhoon Lagoon. They had a blast and it was really nice to get to hang out alone with Brian and Carly. I never realized how much of an introvert I am until we started hosting people for days at a time. I love spending time with friends and family, but I need a few hours of alone time here and there (and by alone time, that means time with Brian and Carly...I don't usually need time ALL by myself...that's the extravert part of me). I went to work before they got home and they left early Wednesday morning, so I really didn't see them after Monday afternoon. I was sad about that, but we had a great first few days together.
Thanks for coming, guys! Please come back soon! :)
Saturday, May 12, 2012
"Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to work I go..."
I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last wrote! I guess when you are trying to soak up every second you have with your little girly you just don't get on the computer. But now she is taking a nap, so it's a perfect time to recap my first week going back to work. Now I understand that some of you think it might be totally silly that I had such a hard time leaving Carly since I'm only part time, but for me it was a big deal as I never planned to work outside the home once I had children. I always hoped to teach piano and voice lessons at home while picking up odds and ends jobs. I still have every intention of doing that once more babes enter our lives, but Brian and I both agreed that with just one child it was totally manageable for me to work 30 hours a week. 3-10 hour shifts and I'm done. Doesn't sound like much to you full-timers, but it is PLENTY for me!
So...last Sunday I knew it was time to go back to work. My siblings were in town visiting us and therefore it created the perfect transition for me to leave Carly with two people I trust most next to Carly's grandparents. I am SO glad they were here. Sunday morning I made the mistake of putting Carly in the church nursery during the service. She is beginning to be a distraction and so I thought, "I'll trying leaving her for an hour to see how this is going to go." That was stupid! I had to be called out of the service, TWICE. By the end of church I was in tears because I figured that if I couldn't leave her for an hour, how could I leave her for 10+ hours? So once we got home I took her into our bedroom for some quality lovin' with her. I was so thankful Trey and Tiff were there so I didn't have to be so embarrassed crying once the babysitter arrived. Because they had been in our home for a few days, Carly was familiar with them and I think that helped. She has no problem playing with new people, but once it comes time to nap if it isn't done JUST RIGHT she flips. So this week we've been working on a better sleep-time routine than bouncing on a ball...but more on that later.
Once I got to work it was better. It was the walking out of the door part and driving to work thinking about her that was the toughest. Once I was at work I put on my Disney face and was able to be a professional woman. It helped that I was welcomed back so warmly by my cast and peers. Tiff texted me hourly updates to assure me that everything was going wonderfully. She never even cried (ps-the pressure is on for you visitors coming over the next month...can you keep her happy the whole time we're gone? [Auntie Anna, Mark & Chelsea, Grandpa & Grandma and Grandpa & Nana] *wink*). Trey and Tiff knew exactly how she desired to be handled and did a great job catering to her needs. It also helped once I knew Brian had gotten home. He is just as good at caring for her as I am, so at that point I knew she would be fine.
Monday was easier, I only cried when I left, and by Tuesday I didn't cry at all. Now granted, Tuesdays she is home with Brian so I don't have to leave her with unfamiliar people, but still, it was a big deal to be able to give her a hug and a kiss and walk out the door being okay to go to work. I did enjoy being back at work, as I do love my job. I had a million things to get caught up on plus while I was out we transitioned into having a new boss, so quite a bit of responsibilities had been shuffled around. I would still rather be with Carly every second, but I think after a few months I will be glad I have a life outside of being a wife and a mom. Plus, my Mom encourages me to remember these top 5 reasons as to why working part time is a good thing:
1. It's good for mothers to have an identity outside of their children
2. Carly has two primary care-givers, so it's good for both of us to be primary
3. It's good for Carly to spend time with people other than her Mom & Dad and will teach her some flexibility
4. I probably don't have that many more years of having a professional life, so enjoy it while I can.
5. Of course, the extra income is nice :)
So there you have it...after 11 weeks home with my love it was not fun to have to say goodbye to that. But, after three days of work were over, it meant four days back doing what I've found I love most! :) Tomorrow begins week two. We have a lady coming over to play with Carly who she's only met once. I hope it goes splendid!!
So...last Sunday I knew it was time to go back to work. My siblings were in town visiting us and therefore it created the perfect transition for me to leave Carly with two people I trust most next to Carly's grandparents. I am SO glad they were here. Sunday morning I made the mistake of putting Carly in the church nursery during the service. She is beginning to be a distraction and so I thought, "I'll trying leaving her for an hour to see how this is going to go." That was stupid! I had to be called out of the service, TWICE. By the end of church I was in tears because I figured that if I couldn't leave her for an hour, how could I leave her for 10+ hours? So once we got home I took her into our bedroom for some quality lovin' with her. I was so thankful Trey and Tiff were there so I didn't have to be so embarrassed crying once the babysitter arrived. Because they had been in our home for a few days, Carly was familiar with them and I think that helped. She has no problem playing with new people, but once it comes time to nap if it isn't done JUST RIGHT she flips. So this week we've been working on a better sleep-time routine than bouncing on a ball...but more on that later.
Once I got to work it was better. It was the walking out of the door part and driving to work thinking about her that was the toughest. Once I was at work I put on my Disney face and was able to be a professional woman. It helped that I was welcomed back so warmly by my cast and peers. Tiff texted me hourly updates to assure me that everything was going wonderfully. She never even cried (ps-the pressure is on for you visitors coming over the next month...can you keep her happy the whole time we're gone? [Auntie Anna, Mark & Chelsea, Grandpa & Grandma and Grandpa & Nana] *wink*). Trey and Tiff knew exactly how she desired to be handled and did a great job catering to her needs. It also helped once I knew Brian had gotten home. He is just as good at caring for her as I am, so at that point I knew she would be fine.
Monday was easier, I only cried when I left, and by Tuesday I didn't cry at all. Now granted, Tuesdays she is home with Brian so I don't have to leave her with unfamiliar people, but still, it was a big deal to be able to give her a hug and a kiss and walk out the door being okay to go to work. I did enjoy being back at work, as I do love my job. I had a million things to get caught up on plus while I was out we transitioned into having a new boss, so quite a bit of responsibilities had been shuffled around. I would still rather be with Carly every second, but I think after a few months I will be glad I have a life outside of being a wife and a mom. Plus, my Mom encourages me to remember these top 5 reasons as to why working part time is a good thing:
1. It's good for mothers to have an identity outside of their children
2. Carly has two primary care-givers, so it's good for both of us to be primary
3. It's good for Carly to spend time with people other than her Mom & Dad and will teach her some flexibility
4. I probably don't have that many more years of having a professional life, so enjoy it while I can.
5. Of course, the extra income is nice :)
So there you have it...after 11 weeks home with my love it was not fun to have to say goodbye to that. But, after three days of work were over, it meant four days back doing what I've found I love most! :) Tomorrow begins week two. We have a lady coming over to play with Carly who she's only met once. I hope it goes splendid!!
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