I did pull out my records and I was the same height as A, but a 1lb heavier than she is now.
Showing posts with label Mommyhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mommyhood. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16
15 Month Well Baby Visit
We went yesterday morning for Ave's 15 month Well Baby check up. Everything looks good, but she still does have a slight heart murmur, which the doctor isn't too concerned about. I also had started to notice a soft bulge above her belly button (while standing) the past few months. My MIL looked at it (she's an RN) and said that it might be a slight umbilical hernia....it is. The doctor says we'll keep an eye on it but it should close up on its own by the time A is 4 year....if not, we'll deal with it then.
I did pull out my records and I was the same height as A, but a 1lb heavier than she is now.
I did pull out my records and I was the same height as A, but a 1lb heavier than she is now.
Tuesday, February 1
15 months
Another 1/4 of a year is behind us....2 is coming on way too fast! There have been quite a few new developments, particularly in the past week.....so here we go:
*We don't have our well-baby visit until the 15th, so we had to improvise and do our own weights and measures: A is currently at 23lbs and looking to be just under 32".
*18 month outfits (particularly one piece-ers) are just barely fitting.
*All 4 molars are now most of the way through...raising our teeth grand total to 12.
*Walking is our constant preferred mode of transportation...in addition to walking there is running...which sometimes ends up with a complete full body face plant.
*A now signs: Milk, more, all done, read, book
*A now says: Mama, Mommy, Dado, Daddy, Dada, dog, puppy, happy, please (for the first time yesterday), bottle, Bailey (Auntie Megger's dog), Sa and Thy (our dogs, Sage and Thyme), wat (for water), 'mana (banana) and a couple of other things I can't remember.
*A now makes the sounds for: Dog, cat, chicken, lion, lamb/sheep, monkey, cow, and ghost
*A also points to her hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth and (sometimes) tummy
*She blows lots of kisses and can click her tongue
*We're still not sleeping through the night and are usually up at least once, if not twice, but they're quick drinks and then back down....we typically go from 7:30pm until 7:45am (but with 2 wakeups).
*A can now climb up on the couch, ottoman, and arm chair without help (Lord help us!)
*A continue to try and climb up the dog crate to get on the kitchen counter (hasn't happened yet).
*A responded to her first phone call: I was on the phone with Matt and put her on and he said, "hello" and A said "Hi" (usually she just sits there in awe).
*We're down to only 1 nap a day...sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's 3, but on average they're around 2 hours: I miss 2-2 hour naps.
*A still refuses to leave hair things in.
*A few times we found A sucking the same 2 fingers that I sucked when I was a kid...only (no idea how she came up with that or why (she still has a pacifier, but only in her crib or in the car).
I'm sure there is something else I should be mentioning, but I can't seem to remember. This kid is just growing up way too fast.
Out shoveling this morning before the big storm comes.
~*~*~Updated 2/15/11~*~*~
Went this morning for Ave's 15 month Well Baby check up. Everything looks good, but she still does have a slight heart murmur, which the doctor isn't too concerned about. I also had started to notice a soft bulge above her belly button (while standing) the past few months. My MIL looked at it (she's an RN) and said that it might be a slight umbilical hernia....it is. The doctor says we'll keep an eye on it but it should close up on its own by the time A is 4 year....if not, we'll deal with it then.
*We don't have our well-baby visit until the 15th, so we had to improvise and do our own weights and measures: A is currently at 23lbs and looking to be just under 32".
*18 month outfits (particularly one piece-ers) are just barely fitting.
*All 4 molars are now most of the way through...raising our teeth grand total to 12.
*Walking is our constant preferred mode of transportation...in addition to walking there is running...which sometimes ends up with a complete full body face plant.
*A now signs: Milk, more, all done, read, book
*A now says: Mama, Mommy, Dado, Daddy, Dada, dog, puppy, happy, please (for the first time yesterday), bottle, Bailey (Auntie Megger's dog), Sa and Thy (our dogs, Sage and Thyme), wat (for water), 'mana (banana) and a couple of other things I can't remember.
*A now makes the sounds for: Dog, cat, chicken, lion, lamb/sheep, monkey, cow, and ghost
*A also points to her hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth and (sometimes) tummy
*She blows lots of kisses and can click her tongue
*We're still not sleeping through the night and are usually up at least once, if not twice, but they're quick drinks and then back down....we typically go from 7:30pm until 7:45am (but with 2 wakeups).
*A can now climb up on the couch, ottoman, and arm chair without help (Lord help us!)
*A continue to try and climb up the dog crate to get on the kitchen counter (hasn't happened yet).
*A responded to her first phone call: I was on the phone with Matt and put her on and he said, "hello" and A said "Hi" (usually she just sits there in awe).
*We're down to only 1 nap a day...sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's 3, but on average they're around 2 hours: I miss 2-2 hour naps.
*A still refuses to leave hair things in.
*A few times we found A sucking the same 2 fingers that I sucked when I was a kid...only (no idea how she came up with that or why (she still has a pacifier, but only in her crib or in the car).
I'm sure there is something else I should be mentioning, but I can't seem to remember. This kid is just growing up way too fast.
~*~*~Updated 2/15/11~*~*~
Went this morning for Ave's 15 month Well Baby check up. Everything looks good, but she still does have a slight heart murmur, which the doctor isn't too concerned about. I also had started to notice a soft bulge above her belly button (while standing) the past few months. My MIL looked at it (she's an RN) and said that it might be a slight umbilical hernia....it is. The doctor says we'll keep an eye on it but it should close up on its own by the time A is 4 year....if not, we'll deal with it then.
Saturday, January 1
14 months
Every month I do these little updates, to remind myself of all of my daughter's changes and milestones and I never can come up with a creative way to begin them.
14 months
*You are 23lbs and 31" tall
*You now have 4 wisdom teeth coming in, in addition to the other 8 you already had.
*You're most certainly running around and are growing more steady on your feet.
*You've learned how to climb up onto the arm chair, fortunately you also know the proper way to get off the chair.
*You know when you're not supposed to be doing something: You always give us that little smile just before doing it.
*You now can get on off and your little car and the rocking horse at grandma's without help.
*You love dogs.....that's the first thing you go looking for whenever we get to someone's house.
*You really enjoyed ripping open your Christmas presents....it was so much fun to watch you.
*You try to put your shirts on yourself and it's really rather adorable.
*You've started picking up a book and bringing it to someone to read to you.
*You make the cutest animal sounds: Your sheep are quite evil sounding.
*Your laugh and your smile just absolutely melt our hearts.
*You were not at all interested in any of your cousin C's hugs and kisses.
*You are certainly testing your boundaries to see what you can get away with.
*You love doing somersaults and have started to do them on your own...kind of.
We love you Ave: More than you'll know.
14 months
*You are 23lbs and 31" tall
*You now have 4 wisdom teeth coming in, in addition to the other 8 you already had.
*You're most certainly running around and are growing more steady on your feet.
*You've learned how to climb up onto the arm chair, fortunately you also know the proper way to get off the chair.
*You know when you're not supposed to be doing something: You always give us that little smile just before doing it.
*You now can get on off and your little car and the rocking horse at grandma's without help.
*You love dogs.....that's the first thing you go looking for whenever we get to someone's house.
*You really enjoyed ripping open your Christmas presents....it was so much fun to watch you.
*You try to put your shirts on yourself and it's really rather adorable.
*You've started picking up a book and bringing it to someone to read to you.
*You make the cutest animal sounds: Your sheep are quite evil sounding.
*Your laugh and your smile just absolutely melt our hearts.
*You were not at all interested in any of your cousin C's hugs and kisses.
*You are certainly testing your boundaries to see what you can get away with.
*You love doing somersaults and have started to do them on your own...kind of.
We love you Ave: More than you'll know.
Saturday, December 11
13 Months...only a little late.
Does this count as being in the teens? Because some days I think Ave's practicing. Her new phrase: "Oh man"...and it's used in the right context... I'm not even sure where she got that from.
Here it is, 13 months
*You have 7 3/4 teeth: That 1 is not wanting to come all the way up, and there's no sign of the other 3 that were working last month.
*You're running...'nough said
*You're doing lots of things you're not supposed to
*You fell back down the steps (fortunately you only got up a couple)....she was sneaking around and managed to pry the door open
*You give Hi-Fives.
*You now say "dada", "mama", "do" (dog), "hi", "happy", and "puppy"
*You LOVE dogs....and are always saying "Hi do" every time you see one
*Definitely starting with the temper tantrums: If you don't get what you want, let the hysterical crying begin.
*You have absolutely no fear of anything (we'll see how Santa goes today)
*You fight sleep like nothing I've ever seen before...you're always worried you'll miss something
*You're doing better at night now...back to only once a night being up, but I think we have a growth spurt coming soon
You're just an awesome, wonderful little girl, who no words could ever describe!
Look everyone! It's the incredible shrinking bunny!
Here it is, 13 months
*You have 7 3/4 teeth: That 1 is not wanting to come all the way up, and there's no sign of the other 3 that were working last month.
*You're running...'nough said
*You're doing lots of things you're not supposed to
*You fell back down the steps (fortunately you only got up a couple)....she was sneaking around and managed to pry the door open
*You give Hi-Fives.
*You now say "dada", "mama", "do" (dog), "hi", "happy", and "puppy"
*You LOVE dogs....and are always saying "Hi do" every time you see one
*Definitely starting with the temper tantrums: If you don't get what you want, let the hysterical crying begin.
*You have absolutely no fear of anything (we'll see how Santa goes today)
*You fight sleep like nothing I've ever seen before...you're always worried you'll miss something
*You're doing better at night now...back to only once a night being up, but I think we have a growth spurt coming soon
You're just an awesome, wonderful little girl, who no words could ever describe!
Look everyone! It's the incredible shrinking bunny!Monday, November 1
ONE YEAR OLD!
A year, how has it already been a year since I first held my beautiful baby girl in my arms? There's no baby here now. They really do grow up too fast; while the days sometimes seemed really, really long this year has just flown by. We managed to keep a helpless child alive for a year, and just not alive, but absolutely thriving and learning.
I can honestly say that while the year wasn't easy, it wasn't as bad as the horror stories. People always say the first year of marriage is the hardest, the same with a child...I haven't found that to be true. I'm sure the teenage years will be MUCH harder than this was.
OK...here's our ONE YEAR UPDATE! How on earth did we get here already?!
*You now have 7 teeth, and at least 3 more hot on the heals of the last one (4 on top and 3 on bottom).
*You're walking all over and are beginning to run (or at least walk faster).
*Your smiles light up a room.
*You now can stand up without pulling up on something.
*You're sleeping through the night, for the most part.
*You weigh 22.5lbs and are 30" long.
*You're wearing 18-24 month clothing.
*You absolutely adore seeing other kids, especially ones your size.
*When you give hugs (whether to us or a stuffed animal/doll) you put your whole heart and body into it, usually knocking them down.
*You blow kisses to anyone that gives air kisses to you.
*You can click your tongue and even do the weird throat scratching thing that mommy and oma do.
Ave we love you more than we ever thought it possible to love anyone. You are absolutely and totally amazing!
I can honestly say that while the year wasn't easy, it wasn't as bad as the horror stories. People always say the first year of marriage is the hardest, the same with a child...I haven't found that to be true. I'm sure the teenage years will be MUCH harder than this was.
OK...here's our ONE YEAR UPDATE! How on earth did we get here already?!
*You now have 7 teeth, and at least 3 more hot on the heals of the last one (4 on top and 3 on bottom).
*You're walking all over and are beginning to run (or at least walk faster).
*Your smiles light up a room.
*You now can stand up without pulling up on something.
*You're sleeping through the night, for the most part.
*You weigh 22.5lbs and are 30" long.
*You're wearing 18-24 month clothing.
*You absolutely adore seeing other kids, especially ones your size.
*When you give hugs (whether to us or a stuffed animal/doll) you put your whole heart and body into it, usually knocking them down.
*You blow kisses to anyone that gives air kisses to you.
*You can click your tongue and even do the weird throat scratching thing that mommy and oma do.
Ave we love you more than we ever thought it possible to love anyone. You are absolutely and totally amazing!
Saturday, October 30
Avelyn's First Birthday Party!
Well A's birthday party went off without a hitch...even if we were still cleaning when people started to arrive (it wasn't for lack of trying). A was absolutely wonderful, she took great naps and woke up just as she was supposed to (Thank you Lord). The food was all delicious and we managed to fit everyone in our house...yay!
We had the son of one of my mom's friends be our photographer for the day (he's really great) and I can't tell you how wonderful it was to not have to worry about pictures all day (I had enough on my plate without that). I haven't gotten the pictures from him yet, and it may be a while, but these are a couple of pictures from my camera.
Our menu was smoked ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, rolls, and homemade apple sauce: Dessert was maple bread pudding, apple crisp, pumpkin roll, and birthday cake (homemade vanilla cake with raspberry preserves and butter cream frosting). It was so good. Unfortunately I didn't get much to eat, but you can bet the leftovers will be tomorrow's lunch.
We had the son of one of my mom's friends be our photographer for the day (he's really great) and I can't tell you how wonderful it was to not have to worry about pictures all day (I had enough on my plate without that). I haven't gotten the pictures from him yet, and it may be a while, but these are a couple of pictures from my camera.
Our menu was smoked ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, rolls, and homemade apple sauce: Dessert was maple bread pudding, apple crisp, pumpkin roll, and birthday cake (homemade vanilla cake with raspberry preserves and butter cream frosting). It was so good. Unfortunately I didn't get much to eat, but you can bet the leftovers will be tomorrow's lunch.
I did a couple of different craft projects for the day. In the first picture you can see the banner I made with MIL's cricut...it says Happy 1st Birthday, then below it are the pictures I took each month of A with a stuffed bunny. My SIL and I also mod-podged tissue paper on baby food jars for candle holders, and we had red balloons, on which we taped leaves to the top to make them apples. I was rather proud of myself that all of my DIY projects actually came together.
I was so grateful that people didn't go crazy with gifts...unfortunately I told people 18 months for clothes. She's fitting comfortable in them now, but give her a month and she'll be out. So I have to take some things back to get them in 24 months/2T sizes (how is she already in 2T?!) She got quite a few books, which is awesome, and only a few toys. Mommy still needs to wrap her presents for Monday though.
All in all, it was a great day. Filled with people we love and care about, and who love and care about us. I couldn't have asked for a nicer 1st birthday party for my amazing daughter.
I was so grateful that people didn't go crazy with gifts...unfortunately I told people 18 months for clothes. She's fitting comfortable in them now, but give her a month and she'll be out. So I have to take some things back to get them in 24 months/2T sizes (how is she already in 2T?!) She got quite a few books, which is awesome, and only a few toys. Mommy still needs to wrap her presents for Monday though.
All in all, it was a great day. Filled with people we love and care about, and who love and care about us. I couldn't have asked for a nicer 1st birthday party for my amazing daughter.
Cake video
Friday, October 1
11 Months Old
11 Months: Oy! Less than 31 days until you're a ONE YEAR OLD! (Pardon me while I go cry for a few minutes). So many things have been going on and so many changes for you, our sweet Avelyn.
*You LOVE LOVE LOVE books: You'll pick one up and sit down with it and just look at each page. I'd love to know what you're thinking.
*You have 4 teeth officially, and 4 more coming in.
*You're 21lbs and 29.5" tall: Wearing all 18 month clothes.
*Your first broken bone has healed great and your back on the move...I must say your "crawl" was quite adorable though.
*You're walking...completely and totally walking. You still crawl, but walking is your mode of transport now. You'll walk all over by yourself (max of 10 steps), but when you have someone's finger look out...you're running away!
*Blood curdling screams...oh how we love these! They actually make our ears hurt and are, of course, at the most inopportune times.
*You've been making monkey faces: You purse up your lips and make funny noses or breath like you're doing lamaze.
*You still love boys...or more exactly one boy in particular. You've always got a smile for Dan (works for us).
*This month will be your last "first holiday": Halloween! You just missed it by a few hours.
*Your hair when it's wet is halfway down your back.
*You've started air kisses and it's absolutely adorable...especially when you and daddy get into kissing matches.
*You love your daddy! He may not get home some nights until bed time, but if we're up and you hear the dogs bark, you immediately start looking in the hallway for him to pop up the stairs.
Ave we love you so very much...there aren't any words and there is no way to describe it...you just are everything in our lives :-) We love you!
*You LOVE LOVE LOVE books: You'll pick one up and sit down with it and just look at each page. I'd love to know what you're thinking.
*You have 4 teeth officially, and 4 more coming in.
*You're 21lbs and 29.5" tall: Wearing all 18 month clothes.
*Your first broken bone has healed great and your back on the move...I must say your "crawl" was quite adorable though.
*You're walking...completely and totally walking. You still crawl, but walking is your mode of transport now. You'll walk all over by yourself (max of 10 steps), but when you have someone's finger look out...you're running away!
*Blood curdling screams...oh how we love these! They actually make our ears hurt and are, of course, at the most inopportune times.
*You've been making monkey faces: You purse up your lips and make funny noses or breath like you're doing lamaze.
*You still love boys...or more exactly one boy in particular. You've always got a smile for Dan (works for us).
*This month will be your last "first holiday": Halloween! You just missed it by a few hours.
*Your hair when it's wet is halfway down your back.
*You've started air kisses and it's absolutely adorable...especially when you and daddy get into kissing matches.
*You love your daddy! He may not get home some nights until bed time, but if we're up and you hear the dogs bark, you immediately start looking in the hallway for him to pop up the stairs.
Ave we love you so very much...there aren't any words and there is no way to describe it...you just are everything in our lives :-) We love you!
Thursday, September 2
10 Months Old (A day late)
I don't quite know how to start this post, as I don't want to say all those cliches of "how is it 10 months?", "Our baby is almost a year old!", etc etc....but everyone is true. There is no baby anymore...there's a very independent little girl, who knows exactly what she wants. I'm excited to see who she's going to become, but I miss the baby she was. Everyday I'm just completely awed by some new thing she suddenly does or some little thing I notice.
*You have 2 3/4 teeth now. The top 2 broke through, but only one of them is actually the slightest bit visible without looking.
*You give the most absolute and bestest hugs! You've done this for a while, at bed time, but now you'll just climb in our lap and put your head on our shoulders and your arms around our neck and squeeze...it's heaven!
*You'll sit in our lap while we read a book to you...and actually pay attention to what we're reading.
*Your hair is just getting longer and longer, it's to your shoulder blades when it's wet
*You're standing on your own, but you get over excited and end up throwing yourself off balance.
*You've started walking...so far the most you've taken is 5 steps...but I don't think it will be long now.
*You've climbed the entire flight of stairs...just like a big girl (with mommy right behind you and daddy at the top).
*You growl at everyone and will get into growling matches with people.
*This weekend we're going on our first family "vacation" (just an overnight to Hersh.ey Park).
*You love playing with other kids and think it's tons of fun.
*"da-da" and you know who that is :)
*ETA: First broken bone...your left clavicle...yay! (*note sarcasm*)
Ave, it's hard to believe that in 2 months you're going to be 1...I won't lie...that makes me beyond sad, but you are such an amazing person, and becoming more wonderful and loving every day as your personality comes out and asserts its self. We love you!
(You can see that she's holding that left arm right down by her side and not moving it...that's the injured one).
*You have 2 3/4 teeth now. The top 2 broke through, but only one of them is actually the slightest bit visible without looking.
*You give the most absolute and bestest hugs! You've done this for a while, at bed time, but now you'll just climb in our lap and put your head on our shoulders and your arms around our neck and squeeze...it's heaven!
*You'll sit in our lap while we read a book to you...and actually pay attention to what we're reading.
*Your hair is just getting longer and longer, it's to your shoulder blades when it's wet
*You're standing on your own, but you get over excited and end up throwing yourself off balance.
*You've started walking...so far the most you've taken is 5 steps...but I don't think it will be long now.
*You've climbed the entire flight of stairs...just like a big girl (with mommy right behind you and daddy at the top).
*You growl at everyone and will get into growling matches with people.
*This weekend we're going on our first family "vacation" (just an overnight to Hersh.ey Park).
*You love playing with other kids and think it's tons of fun.
*"da-da" and you know who that is :)
*ETA: First broken bone...your left clavicle...yay! (*note sarcasm*)
Ave, it's hard to believe that in 2 months you're going to be 1...I won't lie...that makes me beyond sad, but you are such an amazing person, and becoming more wonderful and loving every day as your personality comes out and asserts its self. We love you!
(You can see that she's holding that left arm right down by her side and not moving it...that's the injured one).
Ave has a broken clavicle.
Ave has a broken clavicle. will post more when we get home.
~*~UPDATE~*~
After this mornings post Ave woke up at 7am, again she didn't pull herself up to a sit or a stand in her crib and was just laying there kind of mopey on her tummy. I picked her up and she cried a bit, and brought her in bed with me and Matt we looked her over and definitely decided that there was something going on with that left arm. I called the Dr first thing and they had us come in.
We got there and they asked me a few questions...I answered them...telling them that she seemed to be favoring that arm and the whinging every time we picked her up or some how moved that arm. She would hold things in her hand, but wouldn't move them above shoulder height.
A was a trooper with the xrays didn't even phase her...of course they asked me "Is there any possibility that you're pregnant?" since I stayed with her. I immediately could see something on the screen when it popped up. They sent us back to the doctor's office and they confirmed that it was a broken left clavicle. There's nothing to be done for it, just make her comfortable, medicate if needed and let her be low key. She's doing what needs to be done (keeping it still and not using it).
If there is no improvement in a couple of weeks we go back, otherwise they're just going to check her at her 1 year appt in November. Rather uneventful and I kept my cool, and actually (surprisingly) haven't even cried one tear yet...that still may happen.
Prayfully she just has a quick recovery and heals completely. Thanks again for all the support, thoughts, and prayers!
~*~UPDATE~*~
After this mornings post Ave woke up at 7am, again she didn't pull herself up to a sit or a stand in her crib and was just laying there kind of mopey on her tummy. I picked her up and she cried a bit, and brought her in bed with me and Matt we looked her over and definitely decided that there was something going on with that left arm. I called the Dr first thing and they had us come in.
We got there and they asked me a few questions...I answered them...telling them that she seemed to be favoring that arm and the whinging every time we picked her up or some how moved that arm. She would hold things in her hand, but wouldn't move them above shoulder height.
A was a trooper with the xrays didn't even phase her...of course they asked me "Is there any possibility that you're pregnant?" since I stayed with her. I immediately could see something on the screen when it popped up. They sent us back to the doctor's office and they confirmed that it was a broken left clavicle. There's nothing to be done for it, just make her comfortable, medicate if needed and let her be low key. She's doing what needs to be done (keeping it still and not using it).
If there is no improvement in a couple of weeks we go back, otherwise they're just going to check her at her 1 year appt in November. Rather uneventful and I kept my cool, and actually (surprisingly) haven't even cried one tear yet...that still may happen.
Prayfully she just has a quick recovery and heals completely. Thanks again for all the support, thoughts, and prayers!
We need prayers for Baby Ave
The past 2 days I've had the neighbor's daughters over to help me with cleaning the house. Yesterday (Wed) the youngest one was helping me out. Ave woke up from her nap and she asked me if she could change her diaper and get her dressed (she's 12/13) and I said yes. I was downstairs doing dishes and I thought to myself "I should tell her to make sure no to leave Ave on the changing table alone: I hope she doesn't fall off"....within seconds of his though I head a loud thump....ran upstairs and Ave had fallen off the changing table.
She was hysterical, the girl felt terrible. I looked her over and Ave seemed ok, just shaken up. I just held her and she stopped crying after a bit. I put her down on the floor and she crawled ok, she rolled over ok, she stood up ok and walked ok....but she would start crying.
I took her over to our store and told Matt, and he and MIL (she's an RN) looked at her and they thought she seemed ok too, but we decided to go to the doctor anyways. Got there in the afternoon and as soon as the doctor walked in Ave was crying, so it was hard for them to tell what was hurting her. We were sent home and just told to keep an eye on her to see if she was favoring anything.
All evening passed and she was fussy (she never got a nap in the afternoon). We ate dinner and she seemed ok, bath and bed...still ok. Now it's 3:30 am, and I've been up with her for an hour...she's just lying in her bed, eyes open, arms and legs straight out. When I pick her up she cries for a few seconds (was doing this all afternoon/evening too), but then she's ok.
She never just lays still like this....EVER! It actually is rather freaking me out....just lying there, eyes open...she is responsive and looks at me and reacts to light and movement etc. Needless to say first thing in the morning we're calling the doctor's office and going in for xrays and whatever else they need to do to rule out that anything is wrong.
She only just now closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. I feel so absolutely terrible. People give me a hard time about being so protective of Ave and one of the few times I let someone (who is entirely capable) step in she gets hurt. Honestly, I didn't think that the girl changing Ave was that big a deal. Now my poor judgment and neglect in telling someone something I thought they should know as common sense resulted in my daughter getting hurt. I feel beyond absolutely horrible about that.
I just pray that she is ok. That there is no lasting damage...that if something is broken that it's easily fixed and quickly healed and my baby girl is back to herself.
She was hysterical, the girl felt terrible. I looked her over and Ave seemed ok, just shaken up. I just held her and she stopped crying after a bit. I put her down on the floor and she crawled ok, she rolled over ok, she stood up ok and walked ok....but she would start crying.
I took her over to our store and told Matt, and he and MIL (she's an RN) looked at her and they thought she seemed ok too, but we decided to go to the doctor anyways. Got there in the afternoon and as soon as the doctor walked in Ave was crying, so it was hard for them to tell what was hurting her. We were sent home and just told to keep an eye on her to see if she was favoring anything.
All evening passed and she was fussy (she never got a nap in the afternoon). We ate dinner and she seemed ok, bath and bed...still ok. Now it's 3:30 am, and I've been up with her for an hour...she's just lying in her bed, eyes open, arms and legs straight out. When I pick her up she cries for a few seconds (was doing this all afternoon/evening too), but then she's ok.
She never just lays still like this....EVER! It actually is rather freaking me out....just lying there, eyes open...she is responsive and looks at me and reacts to light and movement etc. Needless to say first thing in the morning we're calling the doctor's office and going in for xrays and whatever else they need to do to rule out that anything is wrong.
She only just now closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. I feel so absolutely terrible. People give me a hard time about being so protective of Ave and one of the few times I let someone (who is entirely capable) step in she gets hurt. Honestly, I didn't think that the girl changing Ave was that big a deal. Now my poor judgment and neglect in telling someone something I thought they should know as common sense resulted in my daughter getting hurt. I feel beyond absolutely horrible about that.
I just pray that she is ok. That there is no lasting damage...that if something is broken that it's easily fixed and quickly healed and my baby girl is back to herself.
Tuesday, August 3
9 Months
NINE MONTHS! Seriously?! Today we had our 9 month well baby visit with our pediatrician. Avelyn is doing well and was given a clean bill of health...no sign even of her slight heart murmur from before: YAY!
Let's recap the conclusion of your 9 month
*You went from army crawling to full out on your hands and knees crawling
*Cruising is your preferred mode of transportation...you get really annoyed if you get cornered and can't go on cruising
*You now make this really cute noise, where you raspberry your lips and hum at the same time
*You've loved having swimming lessons
*There's only a few people that you won't go to, but if there are too many people around you get over excited and won't nap and become a monster
*You love your bedtime bunny
*You occasionally will give hugs and sometimes even kisses, which are the sloppiest most wonderful things
*It looks like you have at least FOUR teeth coming in at once...which explains the misery of sleep for the past month
*You have 1 or 2 good nights, then a slew of bad ones
*You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE animals...it doesn't matter what kind
Ave, you're the light of the world! We love you so very, very much!
Let's recap the conclusion of your 9 month
*You went from army crawling to full out on your hands and knees crawling
*Cruising is your preferred mode of transportation...you get really annoyed if you get cornered and can't go on cruising
*You now make this really cute noise, where you raspberry your lips and hum at the same time
*You've loved having swimming lessons
*There's only a few people that you won't go to, but if there are too many people around you get over excited and won't nap and become a monster
*You love your bedtime bunny
*You occasionally will give hugs and sometimes even kisses, which are the sloppiest most wonderful things
*It looks like you have at least FOUR teeth coming in at once...which explains the misery of sleep for the past month
*You have 1 or 2 good nights, then a slew of bad ones
*You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE animals...it doesn't matter what kind
Ave, you're the light of the world! We love you so very, very much!
Friday, July 30
"The world is full of music, dreams, and lovers There ain't nothin' like the summer..."
Umm...not sure where the time has gone...but it seems to be going faster the closer we get to the beginning of August...not a fan, not at all! Anyways, we've been busy and I still don't feel like I've gotten caught up on ANYTHING yet! So, here goes...
Saturday, July 24th and Sunday July 25th
We got up very, VERY early on Saturday morning...way too early. We had to drive to NH for our niece's first birthday party. We had decided that when A woke up for the day, or wouldn't go back to sleep, we would get in the car and leave. She woke up at 3am and would NOT go back to sleep. Finally at 3:45 we decided to just pack up and go. We were out the door at 4:30am.
She slept for 1 hour before we stopped for breakfast, then maybe another 40 minutes the rest of the way. It's a 5 hour drive. Needless to say Matt spent a lot of time in the back seat trying to keep her entertained. She's been sleeping terribly and I'm not sure if it's teething or what, but giving her tylenol or motrin doesn't help.
We got to NH late morning and hung out. After a while we tried to get A to go take a nap, but BIL didn't have the pack n play set up for us and told us just to put her in Niece's room for a nap. I don't know how anyone naps in that house, but in our house we have blinds and curtains on the window. There was no way she was going to sleep with the room lit up like a Christmas tree.
The smaller italicized text is just my complaint about how difficult a time we had with A not sleeping: Skip over it if you want.
A got more and more and more and more miserable! Finally I gave up and we went for a drive...she fell asleep...it lasted 40 minutes. Then she didn't go down for the night until 8 (still not wanting to sleep). She slept until 2am, then decided to party until 3:45am. Went back to sleep and whimpered every 15 minutes. Finally at 4:45 she was crying again. I picked her up and she felt warm (the house is AC'd and got very warm during the night), so I stripped her down to her diaper. She was so, so tired...I put her on the bed between us and she flopped over her legs and fell asleep...I repositioned her so she was at least flat and she slept until 6:45. At that point I was exhausted and SIL was up and asked if I wanted her to take A: Yes please! I slept until 8:45...of course Matt came down with something and was throwing up all night and of very little help.
I'd love to tell you how the party was, but I was dealing with A most of the time. I did get some pictures though. It was hot as Hades outside and we spent some of the time outside in the kiddie pool.
We left pretty early on Sunday...after we had breakfast. A was still being miserable and I had wanted to stop in Wilmington, VT to check out a quilt shop and we wanted to break up the trip as much as we could so we stopped here and had lunch. We even made a second stop, which broke up the trip further...my aunt and uncle's for dinner.
My mom had called and said they were heading up there and we figured we'd make it just about dinner time and we did...it was great to see my aunt and uncle and spend time with them. A was in good humor (finally) she had slept the 2 hour drive between our lunch stop and the dinner stop.
Monday July 26
My mom went with A and I to swimming lessons today, so that we could get some pictures and videos. The class isn't anything fancy...it's more or less to get infants into and comfortable with the water. Basically we sit there in the shallow kiddie pool and play with toys and splash about.
A loves the water...there's no question about this. She's even getting adventurous enough that occasionally she will stick part of her face in. Of course it's immediately followed by much spluttering and coughing (she has a flair for the dramatic...wonder where she got that from).
Random Things
We've started to introduce a tooth brush to A...yea, even though she only has 2 and there is absolutely no sign of any others in spite of the terrible nights and fussiness and occasional runny nose. She really enjoys it...probably because it's something that I let her stick in her mouth. She sat still the other day for 20 minutes just chewing on her toothbrush.
The county fair (and our insanity) is coming up soon. They have an annual Cutest Baby contest, the winner gets a savings bond. Every year I've wanted to enter it and this year we are!! YAY! The other day we did an impromput photo shoot to try and get a picture of A (yea, because you know we don't have any *note sarcasm*) Here are the ones we're looking at(haven't edited them yet)
Saturday, July 24th and Sunday July 25th
We got up very, VERY early on Saturday morning...way too early. We had to drive to NH for our niece's first birthday party. We had decided that when A woke up for the day, or wouldn't go back to sleep, we would get in the car and leave. She woke up at 3am and would NOT go back to sleep. Finally at 3:45 we decided to just pack up and go. We were out the door at 4:30am.
She slept for 1 hour before we stopped for breakfast, then maybe another 40 minutes the rest of the way. It's a 5 hour drive. Needless to say Matt spent a lot of time in the back seat trying to keep her entertained. She's been sleeping terribly and I'm not sure if it's teething or what, but giving her tylenol or motrin doesn't help.
We got to NH late morning and hung out. After a while we tried to get A to go take a nap, but BIL didn't have the pack n play set up for us and told us just to put her in Niece's room for a nap. I don't know how anyone naps in that house, but in our house we have blinds and curtains on the window. There was no way she was going to sleep with the room lit up like a Christmas tree.
The smaller italicized text is just my complaint about how difficult a time we had with A not sleeping: Skip over it if you want.
A got more and more and more and more miserable! Finally I gave up and we went for a drive...she fell asleep...it lasted 40 minutes. Then she didn't go down for the night until 8 (still not wanting to sleep). She slept until 2am, then decided to party until 3:45am. Went back to sleep and whimpered every 15 minutes. Finally at 4:45 she was crying again. I picked her up and she felt warm (the house is AC'd and got very warm during the night), so I stripped her down to her diaper. She was so, so tired...I put her on the bed between us and she flopped over her legs and fell asleep...I repositioned her so she was at least flat and she slept until 6:45. At that point I was exhausted and SIL was up and asked if I wanted her to take A: Yes please! I slept until 8:45...of course Matt came down with something and was throwing up all night and of very little help.
I'd love to tell you how the party was, but I was dealing with A most of the time. I did get some pictures though. It was hot as Hades outside and we spent some of the time outside in the kiddie pool.
We left pretty early on Sunday...after we had breakfast. A was still being miserable and I had wanted to stop in Wilmington, VT to check out a quilt shop and we wanted to break up the trip as much as we could so we stopped here and had lunch. We even made a second stop, which broke up the trip further...my aunt and uncle's for dinner.
My mom had called and said they were heading up there and we figured we'd make it just about dinner time and we did...it was great to see my aunt and uncle and spend time with them. A was in good humor (finally) she had slept the 2 hour drive between our lunch stop and the dinner stop.
Monday July 26
My mom went with A and I to swimming lessons today, so that we could get some pictures and videos. The class isn't anything fancy...it's more or less to get infants into and comfortable with the water. Basically we sit there in the shallow kiddie pool and play with toys and splash about.
A loves the water...there's no question about this. She's even getting adventurous enough that occasionally she will stick part of her face in. Of course it's immediately followed by much spluttering and coughing (she has a flair for the dramatic...wonder where she got that from).
Random Things
We've started to introduce a tooth brush to A...yea, even though she only has 2 and there is absolutely no sign of any others in spite of the terrible nights and fussiness and occasional runny nose. She really enjoys it...probably because it's something that I let her stick in her mouth. She sat still the other day for 20 minutes just chewing on her toothbrush.The county fair (and our insanity) is coming up soon. They have an annual Cutest Baby contest, the winner gets a savings bond. Every year I've wanted to enter it and this year we are!! YAY! The other day we did an impromput photo shoot to try and get a picture of A (yea, because you know we don't have any *note sarcasm*) Here are the ones we're looking at(haven't edited them yet)
Thursday, July 1
8 months old
Four months....that's how far away from a year....that's it!
Avelyn is growing in to an amazing little person! She's so adventurous and crazy...I just know she'll be the one instigating whatever trouble she manages to get into. There is no making this girl do anything...she has a mind of her own.
*You're standing up in your crib
*You're pulling yourself up on whatever is nearby (couch, furniture, toys, people)
*You're slowly starting to cruise the furniture
*Still army crawling, but occasionally you'll get up on your hands and knees
*You're a natural at yoga: Downward facing dog anyone?
*You love making growling and screeching noises, and have been nicknamed Baby-Zilla
*You love boys (already!)...you just are entranced by the guys who work in our store
*Your face just lights up a room when you see someone you love...whether it's mommy or daddy, or Grandma or Grandpa, or Oma or Opa
*You've got a smile for anyone
*You love clicking your tongue and making smacking sounds with your mouth
We love you so very, very much Ave. We're so blessed to get to be your parents and watch you learn and grow first hand.
Avelyn is growing in to an amazing little person! She's so adventurous and crazy...I just know she'll be the one instigating whatever trouble she manages to get into. There is no making this girl do anything...she has a mind of her own.
*You're standing up in your crib
*You're pulling yourself up on whatever is nearby (couch, furniture, toys, people)
*You're slowly starting to cruise the furniture
*Still army crawling, but occasionally you'll get up on your hands and knees
*You're a natural at yoga: Downward facing dog anyone?
*You love making growling and screeching noises, and have been nicknamed Baby-Zilla
*You love boys (already!)...you just are entranced by the guys who work in our store
*Your face just lights up a room when you see someone you love...whether it's mommy or daddy, or Grandma or Grandpa, or Oma or Opa
*You've got a smile for anyone
*You love clicking your tongue and making smacking sounds with your mouth
We love you so very, very much Ave. We're so blessed to get to be your parents and watch you learn and grow first hand.
Monday, June 28
Time keeps slipping away....
Right now I have 156 unread blog posts in my reader: I've been trying to keep up with ICLW, but I've managed to neglect my regulars. There are quite a few new blogs I found through ICLW, but I'm scared to add them to my reader, because if I did I'd have somewhere near a 1000 posts to read, and that just scares me.
There's so much that I want to say and of course now that I'm sitting down I've forgotten it.
We've been having hellacious nights with A since the contractors arrived. I'm not sure if it's that she's not getting enough sleep during the day and is over tired (the scrapping and banging sometimes wake her up). We had 4 nights in a row in which I slept a combined total of 3 hours: Up at 11pm, up at 1:15am, up at 3am, up at 4:15am, up at 6am (for the day), each time it takes me 30 minutes to get her to go back down.
Saturday night was the last straw. I was just sitting their holding her and crying, begging her to go to sleep...she didn't. I told Matt last night that I couldn't do another night and that we had to, at the very least, split the night. Even if he had to get up and stay up with her a couple of hours, I needed to sleep.
Matt was going to take the wakes up between 11 and 3:30, and I would get 3:30 until the morning. Well, I woke up at 3:30 and she never made a peep (I would have heard her). Of course I didn't fall right back to sleep because I figured she'd be up any minute. I drifted until she woke up at 5:30, took 6 ounces, then went back down until 6:30 when Matt changed her diaper and she went back down until 7:45am. Absolute heaven. I'm hoping for a repeat tonight, but I know that probably won't happen.
BIL, PP, and Niece C came down for a long weekend on Thursday night. On Friday (6/25) we took the girls down to the river to play and I think they enjoyed themselves (BIL hasn't sent me pictures yet).
Saturday I got up early and started setting up for my yard sale. MIL and G-MIL came down to help me with the setup and A...they also donated all their stuff to sell to me :-) It was a much more successful yard sale than the one I had 2 years ago. I managed to clear enough to cover our gas for our trip to NH in July, and to Hershey in Sept, plus a $100 toward my camera (only another $590 needed! Might as well be a million).
Yesterday, Matt and I had to go to Bing. to pick up 47 cases of soda/water for the car show this weekend. Can I just tell you that loading that many cases onto a cart, then into a truck, then off a truck and into a building is a lot of work. We left A with my parents (who don't get to spend much time with her) and managed to sneak in a breakfast date at Cracker Barrel...yum!
I feel like I'm jipping you all with the lack of pictures (it sucks on this end too). Last night we had corn on the cob for dinner. We had A in her highchair on the deck while we ate, giving her pieces of avocado and diced cherries. I decided to hand her a chunk of my ear of corn...OH.MY.GOODNESS! She LOVED IT!
There's so much that I want to say and of course now that I'm sitting down I've forgotten it.
We've been having hellacious nights with A since the contractors arrived. I'm not sure if it's that she's not getting enough sleep during the day and is over tired (the scrapping and banging sometimes wake her up). We had 4 nights in a row in which I slept a combined total of 3 hours: Up at 11pm, up at 1:15am, up at 3am, up at 4:15am, up at 6am (for the day), each time it takes me 30 minutes to get her to go back down.
Saturday night was the last straw. I was just sitting their holding her and crying, begging her to go to sleep...she didn't. I told Matt last night that I couldn't do another night and that we had to, at the very least, split the night. Even if he had to get up and stay up with her a couple of hours, I needed to sleep.
Matt was going to take the wakes up between 11 and 3:30, and I would get 3:30 until the morning. Well, I woke up at 3:30 and she never made a peep (I would have heard her). Of course I didn't fall right back to sleep because I figured she'd be up any minute. I drifted until she woke up at 5:30, took 6 ounces, then went back down until 6:30 when Matt changed her diaper and she went back down until 7:45am. Absolute heaven. I'm hoping for a repeat tonight, but I know that probably won't happen.
BIL, PP, and Niece C came down for a long weekend on Thursday night. On Friday (6/25) we took the girls down to the river to play and I think they enjoyed themselves (BIL hasn't sent me pictures yet).
Saturday I got up early and started setting up for my yard sale. MIL and G-MIL came down to help me with the setup and A...they also donated all their stuff to sell to me :-) It was a much more successful yard sale than the one I had 2 years ago. I managed to clear enough to cover our gas for our trip to NH in July, and to Hershey in Sept, plus a $100 toward my camera (only another $590 needed! Might as well be a million).
Yesterday, Matt and I had to go to Bing. to pick up 47 cases of soda/water for the car show this weekend. Can I just tell you that loading that many cases onto a cart, then into a truck, then off a truck and into a building is a lot of work. We left A with my parents (who don't get to spend much time with her) and managed to sneak in a breakfast date at Cracker Barrel...yum!
I feel like I'm jipping you all with the lack of pictures (it sucks on this end too). Last night we had corn on the cob for dinner. We had A in her highchair on the deck while we ate, giving her pieces of avocado and diced cherries. I decided to hand her a chunk of my ear of corn...OH.MY.GOODNESS! She LOVED IT!
Saturday, June 19
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
I can't believe it's been over a week since my last post, and I just know that if I don't force myself to sit down and post now, it'll be another week...the busy season is upon us. As for another excuse...I got sick (it seems to be going around the blogosphere). It started with a scratchy throat, then a temp (100.5), then aches, cough and blah! feeling, but I'm better now, and it looks as though no one else has caught it.
It's been busy. Today is my sister, Kate's, high school (home school) graduation ceremony and party. We've been busy with getting things done for that. The ceremony was very nice, of course the video camera died half-way through her piano piece (the battery never charged). This afternoon is the party, but for right now I'm home and Avelyn is sleeping.
You're probably wondering about the quote up there. I think Avelyn is feeling oppressed and is starting to demand her freedom. Walking into her room this morning, this is what I saw...
I would love to say that she's been working up to this; that she's been pulling herself up; that she's been sitting up on her own, but I can't. The other day was the first time I found her in her crib sitting. That was the only time I've seen her 
go from lying down to sitting. I've never seen her pull herself up. Then this.
All I can think is, "Lord, I'm not ready for this." I put her down for a nap after graduation and she immediately sat up. Ummm...now what do we do?
How do I get this kid to go to sleep if she won't stay where I put her? Now we of course have something else to worry about: Is this going to make bed time more difficult? And how soon before she's trying to climb out of the crib and we have to worry about her getting hurt?
Parents, I have a question: How did you deal with this? Was it as big of an "issue" as I'm expecting? I'm not ready for her to grow up yet.
It's been busy. Today is my sister, Kate's, high school (home school) graduation ceremony and party. We've been busy with getting things done for that. The ceremony was very nice, of course the video camera died half-way through her piano piece (the battery never charged). This afternoon is the party, but for right now I'm home and Avelyn is sleeping.
You're probably wondering about the quote up there. I think Avelyn is feeling oppressed and is starting to demand her freedom. Walking into her room this morning, this is what I saw...
I would love to say that she's been working up to this; that she's been pulling herself up; that she's been sitting up on her own, but I can't. The other day was the first time I found her in her crib sitting. That was the only time I've seen her 
go from lying down to sitting. I've never seen her pull herself up. Then this.All I can think is, "Lord, I'm not ready for this." I put her down for a nap after graduation and she immediately sat up. Ummm...now what do we do?
How do I get this kid to go to sleep if she won't stay where I put her? Now we of course have something else to worry about: Is this going to make bed time more difficult? And how soon before she's trying to climb out of the crib and we have to worry about her getting hurt?
Parents, I have a question: How did you deal with this? Was it as big of an "issue" as I'm expecting? I'm not ready for her to grow up yet.
Tuesday, June 1
7 Months
I know everyone says it, but I honestly don't know where the past 7 months have gone. It seems like Avelyn has always been a part of our life, but that it was just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital.
May was an extraordinary month for Ave. I don't think it is possible for their to have been more first in such a short time!
*First and second tooth
*First and second visit with my friend, Sadie, and her twins
*Started "crawling"
*Started pulling yourself up on things (particularly people and the sides of your crib)
*We've had to drop the mattress in your crib
*First time swimming
*First time having fruits
Ave, every day you're growing bigger and it's more and more fun to see what new things you'll discover each day. Even when you're miserable and not sleeping you're still a wonder to behold and more joy than we could ever have hoped for. It's an adventure and I'm so excited for every day. I love you sweet girl!
May was an extraordinary month for Ave. I don't think it is possible for their to have been more first in such a short time!
*First and second tooth
*First and second visit with my friend, Sadie, and her twins
*Started "crawling"
*Started pulling yourself up on things (particularly people and the sides of your crib)
*We've had to drop the mattress in your crib
*First time swimming
*First time having fruits
Ave, every day you're growing bigger and it's more and more fun to see what new things you'll discover each day. Even when you're miserable and not sleeping you're still a wonder to behold and more joy than we could ever have hoped for. It's an adventure and I'm so excited for every day. I love you sweet girl!
Tuesday, May 25
Earth Momma
Never really thought of myself as an Earth Momma, and I still don't, but I guess by some definitions I am. I don't think I ever intended to go that route either; it was more to save money. I'm talking about cloth diapers and making our own baby food.
Cloth diapers: How do I love thee?! I love thee to the depth and breadth and height...oh sorry. We bought 16 bum genius 3.0 and 24 (12 of 2 sizes) of prefolds with thirstie covers. In the beginning when A was tiny (at 8lbs lol) we used the smallest prefolds because they were small enough on her without being too bulky. We loved them. We thought we'd love them more than the BG3s.
Then we started using the BG3s. I love them more than anything! They're no more difficult to deal with than a regular diaper. It is a bit frustrating that so many of her pants are tight or don't fit when the top does because of the diaper, but we deal.
Before we decided to CD...I had asked a friend of our's how much they spent a month on diapers: $50-60 a month. Over the course of a child's life (assuming in diapers until 3) that's $2,160. Even if we replaced our entire CD wardrobe every 6 months it wouldn't cost that much. With me not working, and having next to no income we need to save money where ever we can.
And honestly the extra laundry isn't that big a deal. During the winter I have a drying rack we place over a heat grate and they dry in a couple of hours, in the summer on the clothes line. If it's rainy or I need them NOW I put them in the dryer for a bit. And I always have some 'sposies on hand in case I run out or have any emergency. Let me tell you those come in really handy for nosebleeds too (yea, I had one at the wedding and didn't have tissues).
It's not for everyone, but for us it's awesome and we love it!
As for baby food. I bought a 12 pack of Earth's Best Organic veggies and one of fruits; just to start A on with solids. From there I realized there wasn't much variety as to the Level 1 food choices. I found an awesome website called Wholesome Baby Food and they are a wealth of information. Everything from what foods at what ages as to recipes on how to prepare it.
I try to buy organic foods whenever we can. So far I've made carrots, butternut and acorn squash, avocados, and apples. I'm planning on making green beans later on this week. It's really not a lot of work and I know what she's actually getting.
One thing that makes it really easy is I have an immersion blender. I just put the steamed foods in a bowl and hit it with the blender. I freeze what we won't use in a couple of days and put the rest in little containers in the fridge. Not for everyone, but it is another way for us to save money
Cloth diapers: How do I love thee?! I love thee to the depth and breadth and height...oh sorry. We bought 16 bum genius 3.0 and 24 (12 of 2 sizes) of prefolds with thirstie covers. In the beginning when A was tiny (at 8lbs lol) we used the smallest prefolds because they were small enough on her without being too bulky. We loved them. We thought we'd love them more than the BG3s.
Then we started using the BG3s. I love them more than anything! They're no more difficult to deal with than a regular diaper. It is a bit frustrating that so many of her pants are tight or don't fit when the top does because of the diaper, but we deal.
Before we decided to CD...I had asked a friend of our's how much they spent a month on diapers: $50-60 a month. Over the course of a child's life (assuming in diapers until 3) that's $2,160. Even if we replaced our entire CD wardrobe every 6 months it wouldn't cost that much. With me not working, and having next to no income we need to save money where ever we can.
And honestly the extra laundry isn't that big a deal. During the winter I have a drying rack we place over a heat grate and they dry in a couple of hours, in the summer on the clothes line. If it's rainy or I need them NOW I put them in the dryer for a bit. And I always have some 'sposies on hand in case I run out or have any emergency. Let me tell you those come in really handy for nosebleeds too (yea, I had one at the wedding and didn't have tissues).
It's not for everyone, but for us it's awesome and we love it!
As for baby food. I bought a 12 pack of Earth's Best Organic veggies and one of fruits; just to start A on with solids. From there I realized there wasn't much variety as to the Level 1 food choices. I found an awesome website called Wholesome Baby Food and they are a wealth of information. Everything from what foods at what ages as to recipes on how to prepare it.
I try to buy organic foods whenever we can. So far I've made carrots, butternut and acorn squash, avocados, and apples. I'm planning on making green beans later on this week. It's really not a lot of work and I know what she's actually getting.
One thing that makes it really easy is I have an immersion blender. I just put the steamed foods in a bowl and hit it with the blender. I freeze what we won't use in a couple of days and put the rest in little containers in the fridge. Not for everyone, but it is another way for us to save money
Thursday, May 13
As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it. ~ Buddy Hackett
Our menu isn't quite as restrictive, yet. We've slowly been adding to the variety of foods that Avelyn is eating. I've also started making some of them myself, which is really rather very easy. So far she has had:
Someday I'm sure we'll institute the "take it or leave it" policy, but right now we'll let Avelyn's pickiness slide.
- Sweet Potatoes
- Peas
- Carrots (pureed and "frozen" sticks)
- Acorn Squash
- Lettuce (she just mouths the stalky part)
- Cucumbers (more for teething)
- Pears
- Apples
- Prunes
- Avocados
Someday I'm sure we'll institute the "take it or leave it" policy, but right now we'll let Avelyn's pickiness slide.
Saturday, May 1
6 Months Old
We have a 6 month old :-( Every day now is closer to a year than it is to a newborn. In honor of Avelyn's 6 month birthday she decided to start sprouting her first tooth. I noticed a line on her gums on Friday morning, and it's sloooowwwllly poking through. There's something about that first tooth....they go from gummy babies to kids with that tooth.
*You've outgrown even most of your 6 months clothes, and are into 9/12 months in 1 piece outfits
*Your first tooth is coming in
*We started your vegetables on 4/26: So far you've had sweet potatoes, peas (which you don't like), lettuce, and carrots...you're always so excited to be in the high chair and getting food!
*You sit up by yourself now, and even correct yourself if you lean too far over
*The scale at the store says you're 17lbs and your measuring approximately27" tall
Here's a recap of Avelyn: 5 minutes to 6 months
Official doctor's report:
*You've outgrown even most of your 6 months clothes, and are into 9/12 months in 1 piece outfits
*Your first tooth is coming in
*We started your vegetables on 4/26: So far you've had sweet potatoes, peas (which you don't like), lettuce, and carrots...you're always so excited to be in the high chair and getting food!
*You sit up by yourself now, and even correct yourself if you lean too far over
*The scale at the store says you're 17lbs and your measuring approximately27" tall
Here's a recap of Avelyn: 5 minutes to 6 months
Official doctor's report:
Tuesday, April 6
5 Months Old
This kid is C - R - A - Z - Y! Her favorite thing: Being held upside down. If you're not holding her upside down she's bending her back trying to make herself be upside down. I keep wondering if she's going to break her back, but so far she hasn't.
*You've outgrown all of your 3-6 months clothing...and even 6 months in your footed one-pieces. It's scary to see the size on your clothes creeping closer and closer to 12 months.
*You can now tripod, but we have to be right there to catch you if you lean back.
*You got your first "cold" on your 5 month birthday!
*Boy do you have a temper! If you can't get whatever it is that you want you screech! ( I have since ordered this book)
*You love bath time....even getting the water in your face doesn't phase you.
*Bath times will very soon be getting moved to the bathtub as you love to splash and inevitably flood the kitchen.
*You love to drink out of mommy's glasses of water...and would rather do that than a sippy cup.
*You love to sit outside and watch everything that's going on: It doesn't matter if you're on someone's lap or in your stroller....you just watch.
*You had your first taste of sweet potato and weren't completely opposed to it.
*You're starting to recognize your name.
We weighed A at the store last week and minus diaper and clothes she's right around 15 1/2-15 3/4lbs...measuring right around 27" long.
Here are more pictures:-)
*You've outgrown all of your 3-6 months clothing...and even 6 months in your footed one-pieces. It's scary to see the size on your clothes creeping closer and closer to 12 months.
*You can now tripod, but we have to be right there to catch you if you lean back.
*You got your first "cold" on your 5 month birthday!
*Boy do you have a temper! If you can't get whatever it is that you want you screech! ( I have since ordered this book)
*You love bath time....even getting the water in your face doesn't phase you.
*Bath times will very soon be getting moved to the bathtub as you love to splash and inevitably flood the kitchen.
*You love to drink out of mommy's glasses of water...and would rather do that than a sippy cup.
*You love to sit outside and watch everything that's going on: It doesn't matter if you're on someone's lap or in your stroller....you just watch.
*You had your first taste of sweet potato and weren't completely opposed to it.
*You're starting to recognize your name.
We weighed A at the store last week and minus diaper and clothes she's right around 15 1/2-15 3/4lbs...measuring right around 27" long.
Here are more pictures:-)
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