Sweet Pea,
You got your first tooth! Well, actually, you got your first THREE teeth - all in one week. And what a week it was, especially because you got your first virus the same week! It was a rough one for all of us and left me feeling a bit frazzled about my mommy skills. I have a feeling I'll be getting better at this because everyone says kids get sick a lot the first few years, but I really don't like it when you're not feeling well and I can't figure out how to make you feel better. Anyway, the week was traumatic enough for me that I needed to write it all down so here's a rundown of the fun:
I noticed your cute little tooth - your top left one - poking through on Sunday morning (July 27th) and I was so excited that you were finally getting some teeth! That evening you were pretty fussy so we took you to the park to swing thinking this would make you happy. But you really had no interest and just wanted me to hold you - which should have been my first clue that something was off. I thought you might feel a bit warm, but couldn't really tell (your cheeks were okay, but your trunk felt hot). I figured you might have a bit of a fever and be feeling fussy from teething so we put you to bed a little earlier than normal. When we put you in your crib you didn't make a sound and then you didn't even roll over to watch us leave your room like you usually do. Papa said "she seems relieved to be going to bed." Again, I chalked it up to teething.
But then when I went in for your 10:30p feeding you were burning up. Your little hands were on fire. And you seemed listless. It was so sad. We gave you some Tylenol and then I brought you to bed with us so I could keep an eye on you. You couldn't figure out what you were doing in our bed. You would kind of lift your head up, look at me quizzically and then plop your head back down. Then you'd lift it again, look at Papa, plop it down again. I really wanted you to sleep with us but it didn't seem like it was going to happen, so Papa got up and put together the Pak-n-play in our room. I thought this might work, but then I think the Tylenol kicked in and you started to feel better and then you were VERY awake. Basically from that point until 4am you and I moved back and forth between your room and my room trying everything to get you to sleep. Papa slept on the floor of the office in his sleeping bag with earplugs because he had to go to work in the morning. I was happy to sit in the rocking chair all night and let you sleep on me if you wanted, but you just wouldn't go to sleep even though you were clearly very tired and wanted to sleep. Eventually I put you in your crib and went back to my room alone. You cried and it broke my heart. But I knew you needed to sleep and unfortunately (well, most of the time it is a "fortunately" but in some circumstances it is an "unfortunately") we've trained you to fall asleep on your own in your crib and you don't seem to be able to fall asleep in any other circumstance. If you know I'm around you think it is awake/play time no matter how tired you are.
Anyway, you eventually fell asleep, but then had a fever on and off for the next three or four days and continued to be very fussy. You would be especially fussy with me which was hard, because as your mom I wanted to be able comfort you. I didn't understand why you'd be mostly okay with Grandma or Papa or Amy and then get so upset whenever you saw me. Grandma told me it was because you felt comfortable with me so you could really let your guard down. I wasn't sure what was going on: if it was teething or if maybe you were starting to go through some kind of separation anxiety (which apparently is common at your age) or if you were overwhelmed by the constant stream of company we'd had for two weeks or if maybe you had picked up some bug. I talked to the nurse at Dr. M's office on Tuesday who assured me that babies can get fever when teething so I decided to just ride it out for a few days rather than drag you into the docs office. Then on Thursday night you developed a rash. I called the after hours on-call nurse who said it could be a food reaction (I had given you formula for the first time that evening thinking that maybe you were fussing because you were starving and my milk supply was low) or that since you'd had a fever during the week the rash could be viral. Friday I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on any longer so we took you to Dr. M who took one look at your rash and said "Oh yea, that is from a virus." Apparently there is some fever/rash virus going around that causes a really bad headache and sore throat.
I felt so bad for not figuring out sooner that you really were sick - what kind of mother doesn't know when her kid is sick? Seriously. Grandma tried to make me feel better by pointing out that you were probably feeling bad from everything all together - illness, teething, company, separation anxiety - and that I wouldn't have done anything differently anyway. But still, I'd like to think that I'd be able to differentiate between teething and illness. Next time, Sweet Pea, I promise to be more on it.
Anyway, you were doing much better by the next Sunday thankfully and now things are back to normal. Your next two teeth (bottom right and top right) started poking through soon after and you really didn't seem bothered by them at all. I'm just so happy that you're feeling better and back to your normal, happy, content self. I hate getting sick more than almost anyone I know, but hands down I would rather get sick myself any day of the week than have you get sick. I guess I'll have to get used to it over time, but I'm not going to like it!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Lots of Visitors
Sweet Pea,
The second half of July was filled with visitors: Papa's friend Jonathan, Gigi and Zadie and then Grandma and Grandpa. We had a lot of fun with all of them and appreciate them coming from all over to visit with you. Here are some pics of the fun:
Jonathan brought you some great board books and you loved having him read to you. I especially like Sheep in a Jeep. He also helped feed you dinner. He has two kids of his own so he is a pro:
Next, Gigi and Zadie came to visit. You LOVED seeing them! Your face lit up as soon as you saw them walk through the door. We enjoyed lots of good food, good conversations and a really nice long walk all over Queen Anne. We are so lucky they made the journey out to the west coast to see us:
Finally, Grandma and Grandpa came back to town. We had a lot of fun with them, but unfortunately you got your first illness - and your first three teeth - while they were here (see next post). We still managed to have fun and luckily Grandma and Grandpa were able to distract you a bit from being sick and help make you feel better:
The second half of July was filled with visitors: Papa's friend Jonathan, Gigi and Zadie and then Grandma and Grandpa. We had a lot of fun with all of them and appreciate them coming from all over to visit with you. Here are some pics of the fun:
Jonathan brought you some great board books and you loved having him read to you. I especially like Sheep in a Jeep. He also helped feed you dinner. He has two kids of his own so he is a pro:
Next, Gigi and Zadie came to visit. You LOVED seeing them! Your face lit up as soon as you saw them walk through the door. We enjoyed lots of good food, good conversations and a really nice long walk all over Queen Anne. We are so lucky they made the journey out to the west coast to see us:
Finally, Grandma and Grandpa came back to town. We had a lot of fun with them, but unfortunately you got your first illness - and your first three teeth - while they were here (see next post). We still managed to have fun and luckily Grandma and Grandpa were able to distract you a bit from being sick and help make you feel better:
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
8 Months/Vancouver/Rainier
Sweet Pea,
So far July has been another busy month. On July 8th you turned 8 months old. When you were first born I would look at other moms/babies and the babies that were as big as you are now seemed HUGE and so advanced (and the mothers seemed to have everything all figured out). And now here we are - you are one of those big babies and I've definitely gotten at least a few more mommy things figured out. Go us!
Right before you turned 8 months, you went international! For the July 4th weekend we went with Ben, Tammy and Hannah to Vancouver, BC so you spent your first Independence Day in Canada. We'll have to make sure you get to see some good ole' American fireworks next year! Overall the trip went well and was a ton of fun, with just a few hiccups the first day. For most of the drive you slept peacefully, but once we left Bellingham you pretty much screamed the rest of the way. I don't blame you because it's hard to sit still for that long, but boy was it hard for me to just sit there and listen and not be able to do anything about it. You were also not too happy sleeping the first night, I think because it was a new environment, a new crib etc. I felt so bad for you. Unfortunately we weren't able to comfort you by having you sleep with us because you're not used to it so if we put you in the bed with us you think it is time to wake up and play. But after a bit of a rough start the rest of the weekend went really well. It was so fun to show you one of our favorite cities, and very fun to experience it with Ben, Tammy and Hannah. I look forward to many trips there with you over the years. Here are some pics from the weekend:
On the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge:
Hanging out on the waterfront:
At one of my favorite Vancouver restaurants, Gyoza King:
Having fun swinging:
Going for a ride:
We stopped at Elizabeth Park in Bellingham so you could stretch your legs before the long ride back to Seattle:
A few days after we got home from Vancouver we packed up again and headed to Mt. Rainier for another long weekend. We stayed in an awesome, but very un-babyproofed cabin right outside the entrance to the national park. Again, the first night was rough for you, and thus, us. We talked seriously about trying to have you sleep in the bed with us one night a week so that when we go on vacation we can have you sleep with us the first night and hopefully not freak out as much. But, after the first day you were happy again. We did lots of hiking and exploring. You LOVED being outside. You were mesmerized by the trees and the rivers. It was so fun for us to watch you watching nature. Here are some pics from this trip:
Hiking from Paradise, the trail still covered in snow:
Exploring nature:
Trying out a shower instead of your usual bath:
Crossing the Nisqually River:
Hiking in the Grove of the Patriarchs:
Crossing the Ohanapecosh:
Learning from a park ranger:
Dipping your feet in the Ohanapecosh:
So far July has been another busy month. On July 8th you turned 8 months old. When you were first born I would look at other moms/babies and the babies that were as big as you are now seemed HUGE and so advanced (and the mothers seemed to have everything all figured out). And now here we are - you are one of those big babies and I've definitely gotten at least a few more mommy things figured out. Go us!
Right before you turned 8 months, you went international! For the July 4th weekend we went with Ben, Tammy and Hannah to Vancouver, BC so you spent your first Independence Day in Canada. We'll have to make sure you get to see some good ole' American fireworks next year! Overall the trip went well and was a ton of fun, with just a few hiccups the first day. For most of the drive you slept peacefully, but once we left Bellingham you pretty much screamed the rest of the way. I don't blame you because it's hard to sit still for that long, but boy was it hard for me to just sit there and listen and not be able to do anything about it. You were also not too happy sleeping the first night, I think because it was a new environment, a new crib etc. I felt so bad for you. Unfortunately we weren't able to comfort you by having you sleep with us because you're not used to it so if we put you in the bed with us you think it is time to wake up and play. But after a bit of a rough start the rest of the weekend went really well. It was so fun to show you one of our favorite cities, and very fun to experience it with Ben, Tammy and Hannah. I look forward to many trips there with you over the years. Here are some pics from the weekend:
On the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge:
Hanging out on the waterfront:
At one of my favorite Vancouver restaurants, Gyoza King:
Having fun swinging:
Going for a ride:
We stopped at Elizabeth Park in Bellingham so you could stretch your legs before the long ride back to Seattle:
A few days after we got home from Vancouver we packed up again and headed to Mt. Rainier for another long weekend. We stayed in an awesome, but very un-babyproofed cabin right outside the entrance to the national park. Again, the first night was rough for you, and thus, us. We talked seriously about trying to have you sleep in the bed with us one night a week so that when we go on vacation we can have you sleep with us the first night and hopefully not freak out as much. But, after the first day you were happy again. We did lots of hiking and exploring. You LOVED being outside. You were mesmerized by the trees and the rivers. It was so fun for us to watch you watching nature. Here are some pics from this trip:
Hiking from Paradise, the trail still covered in snow:
Exploring nature:
Trying out a shower instead of your usual bath:
Crossing the Nisqually River:
Hiking in the Grove of the Patriarchs:
Crossing the Ohanapecosh:
Learning from a park ranger:
Dipping your feet in the Ohanapecosh:
Sunday, June 22, 2008
A Busy Month
Sweet Pea,
June has been a very busy month! You started officially crawling, you turned 7 months on June 8th, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit, we celebrated your first Father's Day and then to top it all off, you started pulling yourself into a standing position. Wow! You are growing up so fast.
About a week before you turned 7 months, you started crawling. You had been heading toward this since before our trip to Chicago, scooting and rolling around to get where you wanted to go, and then one day (I think June 2) you just took off: (POST VIDEO HERE)
On your 7th month birthday we went hiking in Discovery Park with Ben, Tammy and Hannah. It was really fun. And then I sprained my ankle. For like the 6th time in two years. Awesome. Here we are before the big injury:
To get ready for Father's Day we went with some of our PEPS friends (Amy and Sophia and Emily and Ashley) to a pottery painting place and made Papa a mug with your handprint on it. You loved wiggling your fingers in the blue paint and I had to work hard to keep you from eating the paint. Here are some pictures of our adventures:
And here's Papa proudly showing off your gift:
Also, this month Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. You had a great time with them and they really spoiled you. In fact, they gave you so much attention that you never wanted to take naps or go to bed at night. This was a little frustrating for me and papa because you have been a really good sleeper/napper for a few months now and everything in the house definitely functions better when Papa and I get sleep! Maybe next time Grandma and Grandpa come visit I'll put your pak-n-play in the guest room so they can get up and play with you in the middle of the night when you don't want to go back to sleep! Here they are loving on you:
For Father's Day we went to Golden Gardens to spend some time together as a family enjoying the sun - which had finally decided to make an appearance for the summer. Papa and I decided to dip your toes in the water - your first feel of the ocean (I guess it's really Puget Sound, but the ocean flows into the Sound so it's kind of the ocean...). You did not like the water AT ALL. You started screaming immediately and clinging to my neck. It was freezing so I don't blame you. Next we put your feet in the sand and you did not like that either. I think you were just tired (from your lack of sleep during Grandma and Grandpa's visit) but I was hoping we didn't make you permanently afraid of the beach:
After that we had a Father's Day barbeque on the back deck with Auntie Amy, Grandma, Grandpa, Ben, Tammy, Hannah and Heather:
The day Grandma and Grandpa left (June 19th ) you pulled yourself up to a standing position on the side of the couch for the first time all by yourself! You were so proud:
Also this month we finally got a chance to have you play with Emma and Samara. Auntie Amy has been their nanny for about 4 1/2 years now. I've gotten to see these two grow up and most of what I know about babies and taking care of babies has come from watching Amy take care of them. I've loved getting to know them and play with them over the years and hope to continue to know them. Here they are loving on you:
Also in June we planted a veggie garden. I've been talking about having a vegetable garden for years and this year I decided it was time to just do it. So we went to Swanson's and bought a bunch of veggie starts (tomatoes, cucumbers, zuchini and peppers), pots and A LOT of potting soil. I wanted to start with a container garden this year and if it is successful perhaps next year I'll try to figure out how to make an actual vegetable garden in our back yard. Here's what the plants looked like on day one:
Phew, that's a lot to do in one month! I can't wait to see what July has in store for us.
June has been a very busy month! You started officially crawling, you turned 7 months on June 8th, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit, we celebrated your first Father's Day and then to top it all off, you started pulling yourself into a standing position. Wow! You are growing up so fast.
About a week before you turned 7 months, you started crawling. You had been heading toward this since before our trip to Chicago, scooting and rolling around to get where you wanted to go, and then one day (I think June 2) you just took off: (POST VIDEO HERE)
On your 7th month birthday we went hiking in Discovery Park with Ben, Tammy and Hannah. It was really fun. And then I sprained my ankle. For like the 6th time in two years. Awesome. Here we are before the big injury:
To get ready for Father's Day we went with some of our PEPS friends (Amy and Sophia and Emily and Ashley) to a pottery painting place and made Papa a mug with your handprint on it. You loved wiggling your fingers in the blue paint and I had to work hard to keep you from eating the paint. Here are some pictures of our adventures:
And here's Papa proudly showing off your gift:
Also, this month Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. You had a great time with them and they really spoiled you. In fact, they gave you so much attention that you never wanted to take naps or go to bed at night. This was a little frustrating for me and papa because you have been a really good sleeper/napper for a few months now and everything in the house definitely functions better when Papa and I get sleep! Maybe next time Grandma and Grandpa come visit I'll put your pak-n-play in the guest room so they can get up and play with you in the middle of the night when you don't want to go back to sleep! Here they are loving on you:
For Father's Day we went to Golden Gardens to spend some time together as a family enjoying the sun - which had finally decided to make an appearance for the summer. Papa and I decided to dip your toes in the water - your first feel of the ocean (I guess it's really Puget Sound, but the ocean flows into the Sound so it's kind of the ocean...). You did not like the water AT ALL. You started screaming immediately and clinging to my neck. It was freezing so I don't blame you. Next we put your feet in the sand and you did not like that either. I think you were just tired (from your lack of sleep during Grandma and Grandpa's visit) but I was hoping we didn't make you permanently afraid of the beach:
After that we had a Father's Day barbeque on the back deck with Auntie Amy, Grandma, Grandpa, Ben, Tammy, Hannah and Heather:
The day Grandma and Grandpa left (June 19th ) you pulled yourself up to a standing position on the side of the couch for the first time all by yourself! You were so proud:
Also this month we finally got a chance to have you play with Emma and Samara. Auntie Amy has been their nanny for about 4 1/2 years now. I've gotten to see these two grow up and most of what I know about babies and taking care of babies has come from watching Amy take care of them. I've loved getting to know them and play with them over the years and hope to continue to know them. Here they are loving on you:
Also in June we planted a veggie garden. I've been talking about having a vegetable garden for years and this year I decided it was time to just do it. So we went to Swanson's and bought a bunch of veggie starts (tomatoes, cucumbers, zuchini and peppers), pots and A LOT of potting soil. I wanted to start with a container garden this year and if it is successful perhaps next year I'll try to figure out how to make an actual vegetable garden in our back yard. Here's what the plants looked like on day one:
Phew, that's a lot to do in one month! I can't wait to see what July has in store for us.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Chicago and Michigan
Sweet Pea,
Last weekend you went on your first airplane trip! We went to Chicago for Eli and Alison's weeding and then to Michigan to see my friend from high school, Elizabeth (Bowhead) and her triplets! All my mommy friends told me that I'd feel like I could do anything after our first airplane trip with a baby, and it's so true! Before the trip it felt like a big day when we'd go to the grocery store, now that seems like a walk in the park. Needless to say, I was very nervous about this trip - about what to pack, about how MUCH we were packing, about how you would do on the airplane, about whether you would be able to sleep somewhere other than your crib, about how you would do with all the people who would want to hold you, about how I would do with all the people who would want to hold you etc. But all my worrying was completely unnecessary because you did great with everything!
The airplane trip to Chicago was 4 hours and you only slept the first 15 minutes. After that you wanted to be up looking around - and squirming around! You didn't fuss at all, but my arms were pretty tired at the end of the flight. Luckily Papa was there to hold you too. We even changed a very dirty diaper on our laps! Once we got to Chicago, it took us 2 1/2 hours to get from O'hare to Evanston - we had so much stuff and had to figure out how to get it from baggage claim to the rental car bus, onto the rental car bus, off the rental car bus and into the rental car. Everything definitely takes longer with a baby! I had a bit of a headache at the end of the day, but you seemed perfectly happy and unfazed.
In Evanston we visited with Eli and Alison and walked around the Northwestern campus. I showed you all of my favorite spots:
We also went up to Glencoe to see where Papa grew up and the beach where he used to play:
We had a great time at the rehersal dinner in downtown Chicago (what a vibrant city!) and Papa gave a really good toast. The wedding was at a nature preserve north of the city and was a lot of fun. The weather started off very dramatic - it looked like a big storm was rolling in. During the toasts I took you on a walk in your stroller (to try to get you to take a nap) and while we were out walking the park's tornado horns went off. Papa came running out of the pavilion to get us, but luckily it turned out the horns were just to signal that there was some lightening in the area. Suprisingly after lunch the weather completely cleared up and we spent much of the rest of the wedding day on a blanket in the grass with all of the other moms and kids while the dads played frisbe and volley ball.
After the wedding weekend we drove to Grand Rapids, MI to visit Elizabeth, Troy and the triplets.
They are so cute and it was great for me to see where my best friend lives and what her life is like. You loved looking at them run around and they were all very interested in sharing thier toys with you. Papa and I were so impressed with how calm, cool and collected Elizabeth and Troy are with their kids. We hope we can be like that when we have some brothers or sisters for you.
The plane trip home was a bit long - we took a tiny airplane from GR to Minneapolis and then changed planes for the tirp home to Seattle. It was a long day and you were ready to not be held in our laps by the end of it, but you still did great. Really, Papa and I can't believe how lucky we are to have such a great baby!
Hopefully our next trip will be in the fall to visit your great-grandparents!
Mommy
Last weekend you went on your first airplane trip! We went to Chicago for Eli and Alison's weeding and then to Michigan to see my friend from high school, Elizabeth (Bowhead) and her triplets! All my mommy friends told me that I'd feel like I could do anything after our first airplane trip with a baby, and it's so true! Before the trip it felt like a big day when we'd go to the grocery store, now that seems like a walk in the park. Needless to say, I was very nervous about this trip - about what to pack, about how MUCH we were packing, about how you would do on the airplane, about whether you would be able to sleep somewhere other than your crib, about how you would do with all the people who would want to hold you, about how I would do with all the people who would want to hold you etc. But all my worrying was completely unnecessary because you did great with everything!
The airplane trip to Chicago was 4 hours and you only slept the first 15 minutes. After that you wanted to be up looking around - and squirming around! You didn't fuss at all, but my arms were pretty tired at the end of the flight. Luckily Papa was there to hold you too. We even changed a very dirty diaper on our laps! Once we got to Chicago, it took us 2 1/2 hours to get from O'hare to Evanston - we had so much stuff and had to figure out how to get it from baggage claim to the rental car bus, onto the rental car bus, off the rental car bus and into the rental car. Everything definitely takes longer with a baby! I had a bit of a headache at the end of the day, but you seemed perfectly happy and unfazed.
In Evanston we visited with Eli and Alison and walked around the Northwestern campus. I showed you all of my favorite spots:
We also went up to Glencoe to see where Papa grew up and the beach where he used to play:
We had a great time at the rehersal dinner in downtown Chicago (what a vibrant city!) and Papa gave a really good toast. The wedding was at a nature preserve north of the city and was a lot of fun. The weather started off very dramatic - it looked like a big storm was rolling in. During the toasts I took you on a walk in your stroller (to try to get you to take a nap) and while we were out walking the park's tornado horns went off. Papa came running out of the pavilion to get us, but luckily it turned out the horns were just to signal that there was some lightening in the area. Suprisingly after lunch the weather completely cleared up and we spent much of the rest of the wedding day on a blanket in the grass with all of the other moms and kids while the dads played frisbe and volley ball.
After the wedding weekend we drove to Grand Rapids, MI to visit Elizabeth, Troy and the triplets.
They are so cute and it was great for me to see where my best friend lives and what her life is like. You loved looking at them run around and they were all very interested in sharing thier toys with you. Papa and I were so impressed with how calm, cool and collected Elizabeth and Troy are with their kids. We hope we can be like that when we have some brothers or sisters for you.
The plane trip home was a bit long - we took a tiny airplane from GR to Minneapolis and then changed planes for the tirp home to Seattle. It was a long day and you were ready to not be held in our laps by the end of it, but you still did great. Really, Papa and I can't believe how lucky we are to have such a great baby!
Hopefully our next trip will be in the fall to visit your great-grandparents!
Mommy
Thursday, May 29, 2008
6 Month Check Up
Sweet Pea,
You are a big girl. Earlier this month, at your 6 month check-up you weighed 17 lbs and 3 oz (75th-90th percentile), and were 27.5 inches long (95th percentile). Dr. M was very impressed with how strong you are. When we told her you were pushing into the crawling position and scooting around I could tell she didn't really believe us. But then when she put you on your belly on the exam table you pushed right on up to the crawling position and she said "Well, will you look at that? She really IS strong!" You also got some of your vaccines and didn't even cry. You are such a great baby - how lucky we are!
Mommy
You are a big girl. Earlier this month, at your 6 month check-up you weighed 17 lbs and 3 oz (75th-90th percentile), and were 27.5 inches long (95th percentile). Dr. M was very impressed with how strong you are. When we told her you were pushing into the crawling position and scooting around I could tell she didn't really believe us. But then when she put you on your belly on the exam table you pushed right on up to the crawling position and she said "Well, will you look at that? She really IS strong!" You also got some of your vaccines and didn't even cry. You are such a great baby - how lucky we are!
Mommy
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Stinky Feet
Sweet Pea,
Do you know that you have stinky feet? I can't figure this out because we bathe you every night and you spend most of the day barefoot. So why are your feet stinky?
Mommy
Do you know that you have stinky feet? I can't figure this out because we bathe you every night and you spend most of the day barefoot. So why are your feet stinky?
Mommy
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