Some New Bath Pics

Eczema Update

Hey - does anyone have any mommy blogs that they follow and really like? I am always looking for new families to read about. If you do, leave me a comment with the blog and I'll check it out. I find you learn all sorts of great things from the blogosphere. I especially like bloggers with a sense of humor.

This morning I triumphed over a 5:00 am wake up! The LO woke up at 5:00 and I was so bummed, I don't like it when she starts her day that early. So I went and fed her and held her like I usually do but she actually fell back to sleep and stayed asleep until 7:00 am! Score! I felt great about that. I just feel like it gets her a better start on her day.

Also, her eczema has been getting a LOT better. Here is what I've been doing:

• Very short, luke-warm baths
• Cetaphil liquid soap only on some parts (girl parts, hands, face & neck, hair every other day) and just rinsing the rest with a little water
  
• Slather on heavy lotion right after the bath (I was using Eucerin cream but now I'm using Cetaphil cream because it's milder...thanks for the tip Laurie)
• I do use a little hydrocortisone on the rash, it's helped to dry it up
• Aquafor on her lips
• 100% cotton PJs at night (the warmer footie pajamas tend to have acrylic or polyester to make them warm & fuzzy)
  
• Humidifier at night
• Slather on lotion liberally before putting her clothes on in the morning
  
• 100% cotton outfits during the day, long pants and sleeves to protect her skin
• I replaced her regular baby sunscreen at school with Lubriderm sunscreen and it seems to make a difference
• Since she was born we've been using laundry detergent that's free of dyes and perfumes so we didn't change anything there. Our ped recommended we run the rinse cycle twice but our washing machine is really old and we don't have the option.

While I miss the nice aromatherapy scents of the California Baby wash, it's just not worth it with her skin being so sensitive. The California Baby stuff says it's for sensitive skin and helps with eczema but that's not backed up by dermatologists or anything - it's just writing on the package.

Luckily the rash never seemed to bother her so I hope we can nip this in the bud and keep it under control so it will not become an issue for her.

Also, remember when I said I went to happy hour at El Cholo with my Mommy & Me friend? She just sent me some pictures of it today and they are cute so I'll post them below. The third picture is pretty funny, the LO was rolling into her friend and trying to eat her face or something. Also, just for fun, I put a picture of the same two babies several months ago - my how they've grown.

Happy Friday everyone!

Lucky Day!

I thought for sure the LO was going to wake up at 5:00 today. First of all, she didn't nap too well at school yesterday so I had to put her to bed earlier than usual. Then she only woke up once during the night around 2:00. I thought ugh, this is going to be a hard morning.

But then at 6:00 I woke up and she was still sleeping! She didn't get up until 6:30. Oh my gosh I was so happy! I hope she's settling into a pattern of waking up around 6:30 - 6:45 but with her you never know. She's not as routine as most other babies. I don't know if that's my fault for not being more routine with her or if it's just how she is. But anyway, every day that I get to sleep in past 6:00 am is a victory.

I think she might not like oatmeal. When it's time to eat oatmeal she turns her head to the side, not like rice cereal which she likes just fine. In fact, last night she was happily eating winter squash but she wouldn't eat the oatmeal at all. So we're getting more rice cereal and giving up on the oatmeal for now.

Besides that, things are just coasting along. I'm looking forward to a weekend that's not packed with activities, we've been so busy that I just need to chill. Also my new sweaters came from J.CREW and that's very exciting. Yay new clothes. Just a few little things makes such a big difference.

Mama = Milk

It seems like the LO only says mama when she's hungry. All of the rest of the time she says baba or bwa bwa or other noises. But when she breaks out the mama, it's food time. Hey it's kind of like recognizing me because I'm the food lady and I smell like milk but well, not so much.

This morning we tried oatmeal instead of rice cereal and she ate it just fine. She's probably glad to eat something else! So now we'll rotate between oatmeal & rice cereal for the grains and peas & carrots for the veggies. Then we'll introduce winter squash. I was thinking of MAYBE trying yams again but trying it with the Earth's Best jar food instead of the actual yam we mashed up. Not sure though. It's such a bummer when she pukes! Also I want to give her hard boiled egg yolk mashed up with milk or water, so that's another exciting thing on the horizon.

Besides that life with her has been really great. The last two days she woke up at 6:45 and 6:30 which is AWESOME. In fact, when she woke up at 6:45 I was still tired so I left her in her crib until 7:00 and she was totally fine. Just up on her knees and talking to herself. So cute. She's learning and changing every single day!

Also, two other baby girls have started at school. The other kids were confused when the first one started and were calling her by the LO's name because they look similar and were wearing similar outfits. Pretty funny. It's nice that they have a few more babies now so the LO can see others like her. When I dropped her off this morning the kids were just so excited. They all came around her immediately and she seemed fine being the center of the hubbub. She jumped right in to playing and grabbing for the toys.

I was so worried about putting her into daycare instead of the nanny but every day I am thankful and realize it was the best choice for us. Yesterday she was even going to sleep by herself in the crib for naps instead of going to sleep with the bottle first and being put carefully down while asleep. That's a great milestone! She has been able to do that at night for a while but naps have been a whole different animal. It's just amazing to see how fast she changes. I am always going through her pictures from the past 6 months and I just can't believe it. This is such a precious time. It's true that the days often drag by but the months just fly past. Before I know it she won't be a baby anymore. I have to cherish this time while it's still here!

Another Update from the GP

Good Morning. I want to share these images with you of [LO] interacting with paper materials. We have been working with recycled paper that has extended from the Oak Studio space into other parts of the room. [LO] seems to be attracted to the sound of the paper as she turns her head when she hears it. She explores paper orally and by using her fine-motor skills. Paper is one of the first materials introduced to the children as it is easy to manipulate. It is also the most familiar because we begin by introducing a roll of exam paper that is used for diaper changes. Enjoy the pictures and have a great day.

Lola is Awesome!

Yesterday Lola came out to attend the shower. It was so nice because she was able to help with the LO a lot so I could co-host and enjoy. She also supplied the LO with an ENTIRE school wardrobe! I had told Lola that a few of the onesies she had bought the LO were really good for her. Now that she rolls around so much, I like her to wear onesies and pants or the onesies that have long legs and long arms. It keeps her skin protected which is even more important now that she has eczema.

So Lola shows up with a bag full of cute new clothes for the LO. I couldn't believe how much there was! Seriously it will keep her dressed for months. I was so excited that I did a load of laundry last night so she could wear one of the new outfits today.

I am so thankful!

A Few Pictures from the Shower

Since DH was only around before the shower started and at the very end when most people had left, I don't have that many pictures from it. There were tons of people taking pictures though so it was well documented. However, I do have a few shots to share... enjoy!

She Only Says Mama When She's Crying.... It's a Start

So for about a week, the LO has been very chatty - everything from babababa to bla bla bla and even bwa bwa bwa. Finally she said mama but it was when she was crying because she was hungry and tired. But, it's a start! DH was bummed she didn't say dada first but I think mama is easier to do. I also don't think she's saying it like she realizes it's me but still, it was cool.

Operation peas has continued to be a success. In fact, we're out of peas. So the next thing is carrots I guess. We'll see how that goes. She still looks surprised when she eats the peas - I think the only thing she's expecting is rice cereal because she's been eating that for so long.

Yesterday we went for an early morning family walk. It went pretty well, the LO snoozed in the bjorn while DH carried her. But then we stopped by my office so I could go to the bathroom. We also figured we'd change her diaper. In the middle of changing her, she peed! At least we had another clean diaper because she peed on the clean one we were putting on her, but she also peed on her outfit. We didn't want to put it back on but we had 5 blocks to walk back home. So I took off my sweatshirt and put her arms in it then tied the arms because it was so long. She didn't have pants or socks because her other outfit was her footie pajamas so DH just held her feet for the way back. I have a few pictures I'll have to download because it was pretty funny looking. We saw a guy in the elevator on the way down and he looked puzzled at her outfit. I was embarrassed and we walked back on California instead of Wilshire (a more major street) but we still saw quite a few people on the walk back. The LO didn't mind though and was happy as usual.

Today I'm hosting a shower for a friend of mine who's due at the end of March. I'm looking forward to it, should be really fun!

Visualize Whirled Peas

Hey alright! The peas worked! We started up last night with something recognizable, the rice cereal. Then I swooped in with the peas. When I first brought the spoon covered in pea mush close to her mouth, she looked skeptical and I thought man, she is going to reject it. But then I had a great plan. I just brought the whole thing of peas close to her. She stuck her hand in it and then brought her hand to her mouth, tasting peas herself the first time. She was okay with it, no gagging and puking. So then I was able to feed her more. I did mix some milk in as well because that seems to make everything work better. Girl loves her milk. This morning we did rice cereal then peas again, again letting her do it herself first, and it was also successful. So tonight, we will once again have peas! This waiting 3 days thing is pretty tedious. You give them 3 days of one food before introducing another to make sure they don't have an allergic reaction. But hey for her I'm sure the peas are really novel so it's okay.

Our next veggies in line are carrots and then winter squash. I actually went and bought the Earth's Best baby food in jars. Yes I did think I might try to feed her more whole food and things or maybe make baby food but the already made very smooth purees are pretty awesome and CHEAP! And EASY! And the Earth's Best just has organic peas (or whatever fruit or veggie) and water. Already made exactly smooth and delightful for baby. People, I'm telling you - this is the way to go. I would definitely be willing to try the other brands of baby food as well, not organic, like Gerber since that looks pretty good. But I happened to be at Whole Foods so the only choice was Earth's Best. Hey and if you get worked up about the waste, the little jars are recyclable so it's just a win-win situation if you ask me.

After she gets through the above-mentioned veggies, we have pears and bananas which I can't wait to give her. I'm pretty sure she will like those. Yay for food!

She is still rejecting the rice cereal every day at school. This puzzles me because she eats it hungrily at home with me. Well, I'm sure some day she'll eat something at school. I'm not too worried about it because in the first year most of their nutrition comes from milk anyway. The food is more for learning different tastes and eventually textures so whatever.

Last night she had a pretty good sleep too. I've been able to move her bedtime more to 7:30 and she slept until 7 am only waking up once in the night! Woo hoo! Waking up at 7 is such a wonderful treat. Ah, I love it. DH even woke up before me and brought me lox bagel and decaf latte in bed - the right way to start the day. What a guy!

Well - TGIF y'all!!!!

No Really, I Will NOT Eat Yams

Last night we had another unsuccessful attempt at feeding yams to the LO. I fed her rice cereal first and it was going really well. Then I tried to hide a teeny tiny bit of yams in with the rice cereal - this did not work. The LO somehow noticed it with her extremely sensitive yam radar and started coughing and gagging and then threw up everything she just ate. It was actually kind of funny. I know it's sad that she threw up but it was funny to see how violently she rejected this tiny speck of yams. So that's it, I'm over the yams for now. In a few days we'll try another vegetable so we'll see how that goes.

In other exciting news, she has been babbling her head off. To me it sounds like she's saying blaaaa blaaa blaaaa, then sometimes baaa baaa baaa. Very cute. She's become quite entertaining between her babbling and all her physical activity. So different than just a little while ago.

This weekend I'm hosting a shower for one of my preggo friends so I'm looking forward to that. It was not too long ago when I was going to wedding after wedding and now here come the babies!

Wham Bam No Thank You Yam

Although the sweet potato went pretty well, I tried feeding the LO some yam yesterday and today and she isn't having it. I will say she was tired this morning so that could have contributed but I think she may just not like yams. I was able to feed her the rice cereal just fine but when the yam got close to her she started coughing and gagging. I know it doesn't sound funny but it kind of was. Then I tried again to feed her another bite and she gagged enough that she threw up a little. So I gave up for the morning. I'll try again tonight because yam is the only new food she can have for a few days. I guess I kind of cheated with going from sweet potato to yam without waiting a few days for an allergic reaction. But DH and I felt that sweet potatoes and yams are so similar that we were OK. Oh and I just went ahead and mushed the yam up and didn't try to feed her whole pieces. I put some of the mushed up yam on her tray table and she didn't really seem motivated to feed herself. Plus I think that she likes the texture of things to be really thin right now. So much for my big plans. But still, I may try it a little later.

Besides that I am SO TIRED today. I think the weekend was just so nice with the great weather and so many fun things that it's really depressing to go back to work. I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling this way. Also the LO continues to get up at 5 am. This is kind of annoying for me but what bothers me most is that she's not getting as much sleep. She went from about 7 to 5 last night but also she woke up for 30 - 40 minutes in the night. This would be okay if she were a better napper but she isn't. I really want her to get 12 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period if possible. We'll see how she does with naps today, hopefully better.

6 Months Old!

I can't believe it but the LO is 6 months old. We started the celebrating on Sunday by giving her a first taste of sweet potato while we were still at Lola's house. At first she was skeptical but then she ate it. She had a great day with Lola and Lolo and slept well that night. On Monday we had the day off from work so we had a picnic at the park near the water and then went to her 6 month doctor's appointment. She is doing great and her weight has been steadily decreasing ... a good thing. Her weight is lower now instead of off the charts - phew. She has been really active, just rolling everywhere and I think it's helping.

Unfortunately, it turns out she has the same dry sensitive skin that I do. Just like when I was little, she has a bit of a rash that's broken out lately and our pediatrician said it's atopic dermatitis (eczema). I already started washing her with Cetaphil instead of California Baby and we're getting Cetaphil lotion as well. Also I have to give her shorter and cooler baths and use the humidifier when the weather is cold. I think the rash came about when it was very cold out and very dry. It's getting a bit better now that the weather is getting better. Poor little thing though. Too bad she inherited her mama's skin.

A few pics below... the whole album here.

Super Auntie's Birthday Party

On Saturday we had a great time celebrating Super Auntie's birthday.... and Juan's too! They had a nice pizza party in Claremont and then cake back at her place. We stayed the night at Lola's house and that was fabulous. We are going to do that more because it was like a mini vacation. We got to go in the hot tub, Ron helped with the LO at 5 am (!!!) and then DH and I got to go to lunch by ourselves. Lola and Lolo were awesome. They enjoyed having the LO there as well so it was great for everyone.

Selected pics from the birthday below. See the whole album here.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

So usually I try to post about the LO but today I heard the funniest story from one of my coworkers that I just had to share.

He was sitting down to dinner with his sons, one is 4 and one is 2. The 4 year old had played at his friend's house that afternoon. So my coworker asked if his son had fun at his friend's house...

The 4 year old replies enthusiastically that they had a great time! They played baseball and peed in the dirt.

Yup. Good times.

Happy Friday!

Updates from the GP

Twice a month, we get email updates from the LO's main teacher on things she's been doing. Here is one we just received:

Good Morning. I want to invite you to take a look at our reflection pages, panels and documentation photos in the room. These documentations are very informative in seeing what is happening in the Willow Room. You will notice a page under paper exploration in which [LO] explored some of our recycled paper. She seems so attracted to the sound of paper and enjoys tasting it. Enjoy and have a wonderful day.


Also, here is our February parent newsletter, very cool:

Dear Families,

New Explorations:
In the Clay group we added water and sponges. By adding these
materials the children have noticed that the clay is more slippery to
grasp.

We often hear the children asking for music, whether it is a teacher
singing a song, listening to the music from the CD Player, or
discovering a sound when two objects connect. We wanted to introduce
more natural/recycled materials. We are asking for clean water
bottles, milk jugs, small applesauce containers or coffee containers.
Thank you!

Please take a look around the classroom at our February photos to see
all the things happening in the Willow Room!

Important Dates and Information:
We are closed Monday the 15th in observance of President’s Day.

We are all so excited for Teacher Appreciation Dinner on March 6th. If
you have not already RSVP'd please do so in the front office.

Please Donate:
Recently Pauline brought in a cardboard box to our room. The children
enjoy to put items in this box just as much as dumping it all out. If
you happen to be ordering anything please save the cardboard boxes we
would love to continue this exploration.

Thank you,

The Willow Team

Almost!

Ah!The LO ALMOST made it through the night. She's been going down to one wake up and this morning I jolted awake at 4 am, wazzzgoingon ... wherezzababy? It was quiet. Then I just lay awake wondering - is she going to wake up? I can't believe she's still asleep! I slept for 6.5 hours straight myself! So exciting and also refreshing!

She did wake up at 4:30 and was up until 5:30, really hard to get her back to sleep that late in the night / early in the morning. But she slept until about 6:30 so more like a nap I guess. I just started my day once I was up (yeah! starting the day at 4:30 rules!) because there was no use trying to go back to sleep. At least I got to pump and feed the cats before she woke up. Also did a little reading.

So man, she is slowly making progress. Sleep training be damned! She's doing it on her own. Well, it certainly looks like it anyway. She slept 10 hours straight! Now if she can just... make it .. to 12! I have been slowly pushing her bedtime back a bit, trying to make it to 7:00 pm. I think that will help too. I'd be fine with her sleeping 7 pm to 6 am but 6:30 is just a little easier.

Prairie Mom requested that I write a little bit about pumping / storing milk, etc. I would like to say that I don't think you really need that much milk stored up. I think if you can manage to store 20 oz that will cover you if you need to go somewhere for the afternoon or something. I think another thing to consider is - what are your plans? Do you want to breast feed exclusively? Because then I think pumping works to your disadvantage because you end up producing so much milk. When I went to pumping exclusively I was getting 60 oz a day and that's actually pretty tough. I was always getting plugged up because it's just so much milk running through the system. Too much if you ask me. Now that I'm down to 40 oz it's a lot more manageable.

Plus, I have this silly stockpile of milk that I hardly ever use. I had to buy an extra freezer for it! I did pull out 50 oz when I went to my girls night away but that ended up being 20 oz too much. I'm still working the thawed frozen milk in to her daily milk and freezing fresh milk. Once you thaw milk you can't freeze it again so that's why I'm doing it.

I guess the milk will come in handy towards the end when I stop pumping but who knows - I could continue getting 40 oz per day for a year and not really have a use for all that milk. I don't really have a storage plan. I know that the milk in my deep freezer is from September 09 and later so when it gets close to September this year I have to start using it. At that time I will organize it better. I also brought 50 oz to her daycare to put in the freezer there - I think I used late October milk for that. You only get 6 months in a regular freezer so around April I need to toss that stuff out. She hasn't been using it - it's just backup.

People say you need 50 oz of backup milk for when you start work but I think you only need 20 oz and that's for a baby that eats a lot. (Although I also pump a lot.) When I went back I pumped 20 oz while at work so every day I replaced what she ate while I was gone.

This is my pumping schedule:

1st pump - between 6-7 am
2nd pump - between 10 am - 12 pm
3rd pump - between 3 - 4 pm
4th pump - between 8-9 pm

I have some flexibility worked in because you never know how the day is going to go. But usually I do 6:30, 10:30, 3:30, 8:30. Oh and I get 10-12 oz each time (5-6 oz each side).

For supplies - I think the PJ's Comfort pump is the best pump hands down. Really, it's worth it. It's $600 new but you can find it used for anywhere from $50 - $200 and just buy new hoses and such. It's FDA approved for multiple users because it has a filter. The pump horn part is soft silicone and not hard plastic so it's much better on your nipples.

When I was freezing milk I used both the Medela freezer bags and the Lansinoh bags. I ended up continuing to buy the Lansinoh bags because they are nicer. They have a double zipper and a bigger part to write on. However, the Medela bags are easier to pour thawed milk from. When you store the frozen milk, store it flat like a piece of paper, much easier to store more that way.

Now that I don't store much frozen milk - I pump and then pour the milk right into a Playtex dropin. Playtex now sells this little milk storage kit which seals off the dropin and you can put it right into your cooler or the freezer. I drop four of those off at daycare when I pick the LO up and they slide it right into the bottles the next day. Also I pick up the cleaned storage things at the end of the day to use the next day. Easy system.

When I went away for a night, I poured the milk into the Lansinoh bags again because I could easily fit them in the little mini fridge in the hotel room and then transfer the milk home.

Pumping works well for me. If I did have another baby I'd consider pumping right off the bat. I feel like the LO and I bond just fine without the actual breastfeeding - but who knows. I don't know if having her feed directly from the breast at first ramped up my supply. She did feed pretty much continuously for the first 3 days. It was tough on the nipples! Yes, cracked and bleeding! Don't let people talk this "latch" nonsense - the first few weeks are just hard.

Well anyway - those are my thoughts. I do recommend the book Unbuttoned for all sorts of opinions on breast feeding / pumping / not breast feeding, etc. Worth a read. Good luck!

Some Recent Pictures

The first set of pictures are from this weekend when I was gone. You can tell they were having a lot of fun together. The last two are right before we went to watch the Super Bowl at my friend Karen's house. She is wearing her new Naartjie outfit and also I had a little fun with her hair. Enjoy!

Great Weekend!

We had an excellent time at our girls weekend in Santa Barbara. People kept asking us what we were celebrating and we were just celebrating being friends. I guess with a party our size it's usually a bachelorette or birthday or something but this time it was just to get together. These girls are my sorority friends from college. It's so nice that we're still all so close and can share life's experiences with each other. Of the 10, 5 of us are moms and we're forever pestering the other girls to get on with it and have babies! We're not getting any younger! Ha ha. But actually, we did a great job not talking about baby stuff all the time. We just laughed and enjoyed ourselves and enjoyed being together.

On Saturday we went wine tasting in a limo to four different wineries which was a great time. Then we went out to dinner in town that night. Sunday morning we had breakfast than everyone got on the road to go home.

I still woke up at 6:30 am on Sunday, even without the LO. But I had to pump and then I was awake anyway so I started my day. One of my other friends was also up early so we ate together in the restaurant before our official group breakfast.

DH did a super job taking care of the LO while I was gone. I came home to a happy baby who was actually taking a nap on her dad - he had her in the Bjorn and she had been sleeping there for 2 hours! He took some pictures of the two of them and I've really got to get some pictures up on the blog. I know! But DH is gone until Wednesday night so we'll see when I have the time.

Today DH is commemorating the 15th anniversary of his mother's death. He is spending time in Northern California with his dad and brother. It's really sad that she never got to meet the LO, or me for that matter. My dad passed away as well but did get to meet DH once shortly before his death. My dad didn't get to meet the LO either - I know he would have really enjoyed her. But we have to be thankful for the family that we do have and enjoy each day we have here on earth.

Hopefully today you will take this time to reflect on your own family and be thankful for those you have with you.

Falling Behind on the Blogging

Well, I don't know what's happening to me! I used to be so good about blogging every day but now I just can't seem to get it done. I think the home computer blow-up has a bit to do with it. Also, tough to get pictures up because of it. Bummer!

But here are some of this week's highlights so far:

Wednesday I took the day off because it was DH's company's 10-year anniversary. He founded the company with his college roommate in their apartment waayyyy back then and as grad students and now the company is still kicking - and growing. I think it's pretty impressive. Go DH! Woo! They had a fun party at an indoor go-kart racetrack, with some catered lunch and a cake and things. Very nice. I took the LO (little one) and she was the life of the party. When the CEO was making his speech, she had (loud) things to say as well. It was pretty funny. She is very proud of her daddy! She also really liked the go-karts, it was funny. They were electric so not too loud and I brought her to watch the karts go around the track. She would totally follow them with her eyes, turning her head to watch the kart go around the turn in front of her. It was really funny.

Thursday she went back to school and boy were all the kids glad to see her. When I came in to pick her up she was intently putting some piece of plastic in her mouth while surrounded by kids who were watching her and taking turns touching her softly. So funny. They are just so fascinated by her. I picked her up and when I went to leave, her #1 fan was blocking the door so we couldn't leave. It was so funny! He knew he was blocking the door and he just stood there looking down at the ground, wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. Finally one of the teachers was able to lure him away so we could leave - so cute. She is still the only baby there, the next youngest kid is 1 year old. So she gets a lot of attention. I am very happy about that. Supposedly a 7 month old girl is going to start sometime this month so that will probably steal some her thunder but at least she's gotten quite a bit of time to be the star while she acclimates.

Oh and the last two nights something very important has been happening - the LO has only been getting up ONCE! Woot! I put her to bed between 6:30 - 7:00 and she wakes up sometime around 2:00 - 3:00 to eat then makes it through to the morning. This morning she got up at 7:00! So this is great news. I know a lot of kids are already sleeping through the night by her age but we're just rolling with what she can do and I'm so happy that she continues to make progress.

I was a little worried because we hadn't been doing the sleep training and I thought maybe she's not learning to self soothe. But I do hear her get up at different times during the night and she just adjusts herself and goes back to sleep. It's hard not to always rush in there when she makes her little sighing, huffing noises, but I know it's best for her. Also, since I always feed her in the rocker before putting her to bed, I was wondering if it was too much of a crutch for her. So the other night I made sure she was fully awake when I put her in the crib. She flopped around for about 10 minutes or so and then she conked out! So I feel good about that. Usually even when I put her down after the bottle she kind of wakes up a little bit, enough to flip herself onto her tummy and adjust herself a bit, then goes to sleep. So I'm going to continue with our nighttime routine because this is what works for us:

• home from school around 5 - 5:15
• play on the floor, read books
  
• bath around 6:15
• bottle around 6:30
• bed time between 6:30 - 7:00

I really enjoy our quiet time mellowing out with the bottle before going to bed so I'm glad we can continue with that. It's one of the only times I can cuddle her because she is just so active. And her little face is just so cute when she's done with the bottle and falls asleep - that little baby pouty face look. Love it. So hopefully we are on the road towards sleeping through the night - we'll see.

Tomorrow morning I leave for my girls weekend so that should be fun! TGIF!

At Least I'm Thin

Gosh, I am getting really tired of my clothes. I've picked up a couple of new things here and there but I don't have time to shop anymore like I used to. Since I don't take a lunch at work, I can't shop then, and the weekends just seem to be over before they begin. I guess we did make it to a mall on Sunday but I just wanted to buy clothes for the little one because there was a Naartjie there and also I didn't want DH hanging around with the baby while I tried on clothes for myself. Although I've waited with the baby at two Fred Segal sales while he tried on clothes. I guess it's my own problem and I am being a martyr.

The thing is, most of the stuff I'm wearing now is from 2008 and before: my pre-maternity stuff. The majority of stuff I bought last year right before I went back to work doesn't fit that well since I've continued to lose weight. Losing weight is good - don't get me wrong. In fact, it's my only saving grace because being thin sure makes everything you wear look better.

I did buy a whole bunch of jeans online from BlueFly - I will try them on and then send back the ones that don't fit. The thing is, it's hard for me to find tops online. I'm really cheap and to find the best deals you have to cruise the sale racks. The J.CREW sale rack is so close... only a block or two ... but I'm stuck at work and then after work I go get the little one and do her whole night time routine. Darn!

I knew that being a mom would change my life in lots of ways but I didn't realize how much it would downgrade my appearance. It's bad enough I'm wearing old sweaters all the time but I also haven't figured out how to work styling my hair into the morning routine. So every single day at work I rock the ponytail. Bummer. Also I can't for the life of me wear heels. Thank goodness for all my cute flat boots. I guess part of it is I care a lot less about my appearance, and I know I should care more but it really doesn't rate high on my list. I guess I'm "letting myself go". Ha ha. Well, at least I still dye my hair and wear makeup.

So somehow, I've got to get a few new sweaters to wear to work. I'm not sure when and I'm not sure how, but eventually I'll get it done. Probably by then it will be too hot for sweaters. Maybe I should just wait until the season changes...

Back to Normal: Hopefully

Today I dropped the little one off at the GP again - I am hoping she's all better. She was coughing a little but I feel like it was the end of it. If she takes a turn for the worse I can always go and pick her up but hopefully she's on the mend.

It was so hilarious when I dropped her off today. One of her fans, a cute little blond boy named Will, totally went nuts when he saw her! He got up and started saying her name over and over and running around in circles. He was just so happy to see her he couldn't handle it! I was totally laughing. When I put her down with her teacher he came right over and was sitting by her and saying her name. It was so cute. So hopefully she will have a good day.

The other day, I read an article about baby food that I thought was really interesting. Instead of feeding babies pureed foods, it advocates feeding them whole foods instead. So for example giving her a slice of avocado and letting her eat it instead of feeding her mashed up avocado with a spoon. I thought it made sense so I asked DH to read the article too. If he agrees with the ideas, I think I'll purchase the book and maybe we'll introduce foods this way instead of the jars of pureed food. We'll see. Interesting to think about different ways of doing things.

Also, I've been reading this wonderful book my friend Sarah sent me a long time ago called Unbuttoned. It's a collection of essays about breast feeding by a bunch of different women authors. I am really enjoying it and I think it's a great book for any woman who has a child. There are essays about breast feeding, pumping, and also choosing not to breast feed or not being able to. The book covers the whole spectrum and it's just so real and affirming. One essay is about a woman who really had to downgrade her career because of her commitment to breast feeding and pumping and it's just fascinating. Luckily I've been able to easily combine pumping with my job but I can see how it's not the case for everyone. Anyway, it's just an amazing book and I love it. I realize that I've gone quite a way on my own breast feeding journey - 5 1/2 months now! It really takes dedication and I'm trying to keep it up. Luckily I'm not having any problems with my supply so that makes it easier.

I am looking forward to the day when I'm not tethered to the pump any more though. This weekend I'm going on a little trip to Santa Barbara and just figuring out how to fit pumping into it took some work. I had to call the hotel and ask about where I can pump when I get there - because we're getting there earlier than check in and then going on a wine tour. I will pump before the tour and have to keep my milk on ice until we get back and can check in. When we get back to the hotel I'll have to pump RIGHT AWAY because it will be time. I will probably have to pump and dump after wine tasting all day and that really pains me. I hate wasting milk no matter how much I have stock piled. But maybe I'll just skip some of the wineries, we'll see. I find that my alcohol tolerance is so low, any more than one drink per hour and I'm not doing so well. So we'll see.

I feel a little strange about leaving the little one for an overnight trip. I know she'll be fine with DH but it is just breaking my heart. I feel so attached to her, it will be so hard to go so many hours without seeing her. I know it will be good for me to have this trip though and I'm going through with it but it just hurts a little. It has been a bit of a surprise to me how intense my feelings for the little one are. I just love her to pieces in every way. Her little face is just perfection to me - she is just the most special, wonderful person ever in the entire world. I just want to hug her and kiss her every single second. She has other plans though - she is a big independent girl and has to roll around, put everything in her mouth, and watch the cats. Every once in a while she has time for her old mom.

Babies are the most precious gift imaginable. I feel so lucky. It's tiring at times and changes everything about your life but it's so, so worth it.