This post is a little delayed, but thought it was worth mentioning.
Before having Lyla, Eric and I discussed how we would handle the work vs daycare struggle. We decided in the end, it was best (and necessary) for me to keep working on a part time basis. We were very grateful to have a family member who runs a daycare out of her home that we could turn to. I was actually her very first client...oh so long ago. It was a huge relief to be able to have my aunt watch Lyla for so many reasons. One of those being financial. We knew that any daycare in the area could cost a few hundred dollars a month. At that point, it wouldn't be worth it for me to work. Fortunately, my aunt is very reasonable. It was also great to know that with only having one other kid when Lyla was there, my aunt could give her the attention she needs. It broke my heart to think of her at a daycare with ten other kids just shoved in a bouncy seat all day.
I was lucky enough that my job allowed me to go part time and still keep my position. We worked it out that I would be in the office Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Eric is home on Mondays so he can take care of Lyla and on Tuesdays and Thursdays she would be at my Aunt's. This schedule took a few weeks to adjust but now we have it all pretty situated.
I went back to work when Lyla was 10 weeks old. Everyone told me how terrible the first day back to work would be...and I thought it would be too. Not the case. Maybe it helped that Eric was home with her, but I had no problems. So many people at work kept asking how I was all day. I got to the point where I started to feel guilty that I wasn't in tears at my desk. I'll admit, it was actually nice to get out and have some adult conversation. I felt more like myself again, after sitting on the couch for 10 weeks. Of course after work, it was still nice to my right back on that couch with my girl.
After a few months into this new routine, I have to say that I really do have the best of both worlds. I have just enough time with both work and home that I don't feel like I am neglecting either. I like getting out and contributing to the work world, but it's also great that I have time to catch up on housework and spend quality time with Lyla and Eric.
All Grown Up...
at least Lyla thinks she is....
I am not sure when it happened, but I know it was too soon. I always dreaded the day when my little baby would start to squirm and not want to lay in my arms. I never expected it to be at four months! This little girl must think she is 4 years old, not 4 months old.
Whenever she has the chance, she wants to be sitting or standing on us. She'll lay down while we feed her but the second that bottle comes out of her mouth, she sits herself right up! Trying to burp her is a joke now too. She'll only burp while standing up, pounding her feet down on us, one at a time, as if she is walking in place. The changing table has now become a wrestling ring. While we often get the best smiles and conversation out of her while she is on the table, we also get the idea of how strong this little girl is. She often pushes herself up with her legs and totally arches her back, twisting and turning, threatening to roll over any minute. She also has the habit of folding her hands together in front of her when I am trying to get her dressed. She grunts and fights me when I try to pull them apart! I'll admit, it is pretty hysterical!
At four months, she's also become a motor-mouth. Looks like she is going to be just like her mama! Whether she's talking to us, her toys, or her feet she sure has a lot to say. She's even started mimicking what noises she hears. Her favorite is when her Grampa Mac makes, for lack of a better descirption, googlely noises at her. She not only give him the biggest smiles, but we've heard her to trying (and succeeding) to make the same noise. I am still desperate to get that on camera.
At her four month doctor visit, (technically it was 4 and a half) the doctor said she needs to gain more weight. In two months she's barely put in a pound. She is however, getting to be one tall girl! The doctor suggested we start cereal right away to help her start packing on the pounds. We have to go back in a month for a "weight check-in".
At four months she....
...weighs in at 11 pounds, 7 ounces
...is 24 & 1/4 inches tall
...still sleeps 11.5-12 hours a night and takes (when she is with me) two-2 hour naps.
...is stuck at 5 ounces every four hours because anything more comes right back at us (though this is getting so much better)
...is still wearing 0-3 month clothing
...doesn't fit into shoes, even newborn ones, because her feet are so narrow
...is losing her hair
...has rolled over just once
...still hates to be on her belly
I am not sure when it happened, but I know it was too soon. I always dreaded the day when my little baby would start to squirm and not want to lay in my arms. I never expected it to be at four months! This little girl must think she is 4 years old, not 4 months old.
Whenever she has the chance, she wants to be sitting or standing on us. She'll lay down while we feed her but the second that bottle comes out of her mouth, she sits herself right up! Trying to burp her is a joke now too. She'll only burp while standing up, pounding her feet down on us, one at a time, as if she is walking in place. The changing table has now become a wrestling ring. While we often get the best smiles and conversation out of her while she is on the table, we also get the idea of how strong this little girl is. She often pushes herself up with her legs and totally arches her back, twisting and turning, threatening to roll over any minute. She also has the habit of folding her hands together in front of her when I am trying to get her dressed. She grunts and fights me when I try to pull them apart! I'll admit, it is pretty hysterical!
At four months, she's also become a motor-mouth. Looks like she is going to be just like her mama! Whether she's talking to us, her toys, or her feet she sure has a lot to say. She's even started mimicking what noises she hears. Her favorite is when her Grampa Mac makes, for lack of a better descirption, googlely noises at her. She not only give him the biggest smiles, but we've heard her to trying (and succeeding) to make the same noise. I am still desperate to get that on camera.
At her four month doctor visit, (technically it was 4 and a half) the doctor said she needs to gain more weight. In two months she's barely put in a pound. She is however, getting to be one tall girl! The doctor suggested we start cereal right away to help her start packing on the pounds. We have to go back in a month for a "weight check-in".
At four months she....
...weighs in at 11 pounds, 7 ounces
...is 24 & 1/4 inches tall
...still sleeps 11.5-12 hours a night and takes (when she is with me) two-2 hour naps.
...is stuck at 5 ounces every four hours because anything more comes right back at us (though this is getting so much better)
...is still wearing 0-3 month clothing
...doesn't fit into shoes, even newborn ones, because her feet are so narrow
...is losing her hair
...has rolled over just once
...still hates to be on her belly
...gives her daddy the biggest smiles whenever he talks to her. I, on the other hand, have to work hard for them.
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| Doesn't look like she has a weight issue here! |
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| I let her borrow my Nina since she barfed on her own Lil Rosie. |
Mothers Day
A few weeks ago, we celebrated my very first Mothers Day. As you know, Mothers Day is always on a Sunday....but this year, the fun started the Friday before. Eric came home from the mall and was so excited about his gift to me that he kept talking about it and saying how he hoped I would like it. He asked if I wanted it that night but I told him he needed to wait. This is so unlike me. But, I figured if I could wait nine months to find out if I was having a boy or girl, I could wait two more days for my gift. After Eric talked it up even more I told him to just give it to me and be done with it!
Because he talked about it all night, I was clued in to the fact that is was jewelry. This was surprising because after we bought my wedding bands, Eric told me that would be the last time he ever gave me jewelery. Babies really do change EVERYTHING :). For my very first Mothers Day, he (Lyla) got me a new ring and a matching necklace. Inside both is the mother and child symbol and he was SO excited about it. I was very impressed that he came up with the idea, picked it out himself, and didn't ask for help from anyone.
On Sunday, the real Mothers Day, Lyla was kind of a beast. We went to my grams for a BBQ and just like Easter she was not a fan of the crowd...and she wouldn't nap. But it ended up being a great day. I am lucky to be to able celebrate this day with my gram, mom, and now, daughter. While at my grams, she had my uncle take down the original baby buggy that my mom used for me in 1981. Gram had talked about this buggy since finding out I was pregnant...probably even before. Finally she had the chance to show it off. From the looks of it, I was a little nervous to put Lyla in it. Luckily, my mom suggested we clean it up before letting Lyla take a ride. I am visiting her next week so I am sure we'll be using it. Instead, we used my NEW, SAFE stroller to walk down the street to show Lyla our old house. I still have a hard time knowing that someone else lives there and had made so many changes. I just hope that we get into a house soon where Lyla can play in the backyard, meet new friends, and have a lifetime of memories.
Because he talked about it all night, I was clued in to the fact that is was jewelry. This was surprising because after we bought my wedding bands, Eric told me that would be the last time he ever gave me jewelery. Babies really do change EVERYTHING :). For my very first Mothers Day, he (Lyla) got me a new ring and a matching necklace. Inside both is the mother and child symbol and he was SO excited about it. I was very impressed that he came up with the idea, picked it out himself, and didn't ask for help from anyone.
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| Checking out my original baby buggy. |
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| Same spot where Eric proposed in front of the house I grew up in. |
First Holiday
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First family holiday pic! |
Last week, we had our first major holiday, Easter. It's the one holiday where we split the day and have to go to two places. Thank goodness, it's the only one. The day started out rough with Lyla being a little out of sorts which then made me a little out of sorts which then made Eric a little out of sorts. You get the picture. Our first stop was GaGa Peach's house where we met up with our rowdy cousies. It was all a little too much for our girl. She apparently wasn't a huge fan of her outfit either. Once her tights came off, she seemed to settle down a bit. It was my first glimpse into how holidays would be from now on. In true Lyla form, she needed to eat just as soon as dinner was ready so I was left to eat cold dumplings. But, cold dumplings are better than none.
Our second stop was to Pope party where the festivities were winding down....and Lyla was winding up. For the hour and 1/2 that we were there, she cried. Non-stop. We headed down the street to Eric's mom and dad's to feed her and to meet their new puppy. Luckily, she fell asleep and stayed asleep for the rest of the night.
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| The cousies...minus a few. |
After seeing the look on my face while my kid was screaming, Eric's cousin Stacy told me I'd better get used to it. She said holidays are rough because you are running around everywhere and schedules get interrupted. At least I get some practice in before Christmas.
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| This is what I did while everyone else ate hot food. |
Perfect Pictures
Here are just some of my favorite pictures...thus far.
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| Mom and daughter bonding |
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| 12 hours old. What a face. |
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| Afraid to move once she feel asleep. |
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| Lazy Sundays. |
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| I'm noticing a theme here. |
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| Her first kiss. |
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| First photo shoot. |
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| Squishy Face |
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| Daddy knows how to calm her. |
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| Sibling love! |
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| The only way Eric knows how to multi-task. |
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| Cheeks! |
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| It's true! |
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| GaGa Peach...pretties in pink. |
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| How sweet is that little face!? |
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| Lookin' like her mama |
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| Girls night in |
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| Sweet face |
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| You crazy mama! |
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| First time in the bumbo |
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| Too cool |
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| Hubba Hubba |
Three Month Recap
It's amazing how a baby can change in three months. Here's a recap...for future reference.
Eating
We've never had a problem with eating! At three months she's at 5 ounces every four hours or so. She gets very worked up and angry if you take the bottle out of her mouth. She'll often growl and squeeze her hands together as if to say, "give me that back!"
The problem we did have, however, was with the formula. In three months, this kid has been on 6 different formulas. We started out with regular old Enfamil but we discovered shortly after birth that Lyla is a spitter. After spitting up every bottle for a few days, our doctor suggested to try Similac Soy. This was no better. In fact, not only did she still spit up, but the soy stinks and stains everything! Every outfit needed to be sprayed down after we took it off of her. After getting a recommendation for Good Start Soy, we tried that with no success. Then came the worst of all. The doctor has us try the Enfamil AR which has rice added to help weigh it down. This was not a good move. Lyla was miserable and often needed suppositories to make her feel better...not something Eric and I wanted to do. After just a week of that, I decided she was too unhappy to keep her on this so we tried the Similac Sensitive. This seemed to work. After one bottle she was so much better. Still, the spitting up did not end, so we went to our last resort, the Hypoallergenic stuff, Similac Alimentum. I had mixed feelings about this one. While I hoped it would work, I was also terrified that I would go broke on this extremely expensive formula. After 4 days, more spit up than ever, and a call to the doctor, we went back to the Similac Sensitive. She's still a spitter, but she's a happy spitter. The doctor says it is what it is and if I need to go to work with spit up on my shirt then so be it. She will eventually grow out of it.
Sleeping
In her first 6 weeks there was none of this. We originally had her in a pack'n play in our room. On the 3rd night at home, I put her in the rock'n play sleeper (a no-no because she wasn't flat on her back) since the pack and play wasn't working out. I woke up that morning, looked at the clock, and saw that I had been sleeping for 6 hours! I panicked. I wondered why she didn't get up to eat. Obviously she was fine, but this 6 hour sleep period was a fluke.
A few weeks in, and zero sleep, I broke my number one rule. I put her in bed with me, another no-no. While many families choose the "family bed", I was not one of them. I eventually gave in and after her late night feeding, she would just sleep in my arms. As I talked to other mom's I knew, I found out this wasn't that unusual. While any doctor would frown upon this, I did what I could just to get some sleep. At six weeks I started to worry that when I went back to work, this sleeping in my arms business wouldn't work. I decided it was time to start sleep training. I had a wonderful book to help me through. The first week was a little rough, but eventually she figured it out. Since she didn't seem to like the pack and play, I started sleep training her in her crib. I figured why do it twice. So for a few weeks, I slept on the loft couch right outside her room. At this point she was really only getting up to eat one or two times a night. By the time I went back to work at 10 weeks, she was going down at 7:00pm and getting up to eat around 3am. Suddenly, shortly after that, she gave up the middle of the night feeding and now sleeps from about 7-8pm until 7am (other than the mornings I work which I wake her up at 6:15). I am so happy that she is a good sleeper. I am sure just once I get used to this, she'll change it up on me, but for now, I will take the 12 hours a night!
Size
At her last appointment Lyla weighed in at 10 pounds, 22 inches. She's in the 50th percentile for both. She's still such a little peanut, which I love!
Milestones
According to my book, Lyla should be:
Smiling
Putting her hands together
Following object with her eyes
Cooing and Giggling
Holding her head up
Pushing off with her hands when placed on her tummy
Rolling over one way
Holding objects in her hands
Well, we've reached all but rolling over. Since she's spit up since day one, we've always been afraid to put her on her belly. Now, if we try, she just screams. She definitely doesn't like to be on her tummy, but we'll work on it.
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| Tiny bottles at first! |
We've never had a problem with eating! At three months she's at 5 ounces every four hours or so. She gets very worked up and angry if you take the bottle out of her mouth. She'll often growl and squeeze her hands together as if to say, "give me that back!"
The problem we did have, however, was with the formula. In three months, this kid has been on 6 different formulas. We started out with regular old Enfamil but we discovered shortly after birth that Lyla is a spitter. After spitting up every bottle for a few days, our doctor suggested to try Similac Soy. This was no better. In fact, not only did she still spit up, but the soy stinks and stains everything! Every outfit needed to be sprayed down after we took it off of her. After getting a recommendation for Good Start Soy, we tried that with no success. Then came the worst of all. The doctor has us try the Enfamil AR which has rice added to help weigh it down. This was not a good move. Lyla was miserable and often needed suppositories to make her feel better...not something Eric and I wanted to do. After just a week of that, I decided she was too unhappy to keep her on this so we tried the Similac Sensitive. This seemed to work. After one bottle she was so much better. Still, the spitting up did not end, so we went to our last resort, the Hypoallergenic stuff, Similac Alimentum. I had mixed feelings about this one. While I hoped it would work, I was also terrified that I would go broke on this extremely expensive formula. After 4 days, more spit up than ever, and a call to the doctor, we went back to the Similac Sensitive. She's still a spitter, but she's a happy spitter. The doctor says it is what it is and if I need to go to work with spit up on my shirt then so be it. She will eventually grow out of it.
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| Good sleeper when Dad isn't trying to play with her. |
In her first 6 weeks there was none of this. We originally had her in a pack'n play in our room. On the 3rd night at home, I put her in the rock'n play sleeper (a no-no because she wasn't flat on her back) since the pack and play wasn't working out. I woke up that morning, looked at the clock, and saw that I had been sleeping for 6 hours! I panicked. I wondered why she didn't get up to eat. Obviously she was fine, but this 6 hour sleep period was a fluke.
A few weeks in, and zero sleep, I broke my number one rule. I put her in bed with me, another no-no. While many families choose the "family bed", I was not one of them. I eventually gave in and after her late night feeding, she would just sleep in my arms. As I talked to other mom's I knew, I found out this wasn't that unusual. While any doctor would frown upon this, I did what I could just to get some sleep. At six weeks I started to worry that when I went back to work, this sleeping in my arms business wouldn't work. I decided it was time to start sleep training. I had a wonderful book to help me through. The first week was a little rough, but eventually she figured it out. Since she didn't seem to like the pack and play, I started sleep training her in her crib. I figured why do it twice. So for a few weeks, I slept on the loft couch right outside her room. At this point she was really only getting up to eat one or two times a night. By the time I went back to work at 10 weeks, she was going down at 7:00pm and getting up to eat around 3am. Suddenly, shortly after that, she gave up the middle of the night feeding and now sleeps from about 7-8pm until 7am (other than the mornings I work which I wake her up at 6:15). I am so happy that she is a good sleeper. I am sure just once I get used to this, she'll change it up on me, but for now, I will take the 12 hours a night!
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| My big, but little, gal. |
At her last appointment Lyla weighed in at 10 pounds, 22 inches. She's in the 50th percentile for both. She's still such a little peanut, which I love!
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| Doesn't look like she is going to be a lefty. |
According to my book, Lyla should be:
Smiling
Putting her hands together
Following object with her eyes
Cooing and Giggling
Holding her head up
Pushing off with her hands when placed on her tummy
Rolling over one way
Holding objects in her hands
Well, we've reached all but rolling over. Since she's spit up since day one, we've always been afraid to put her on her belly. Now, if we try, she just screams. She definitely doesn't like to be on her tummy, but we'll work on it.
Super Dad
Eric did not disappoint. From the time Lyla was born, he became Super Dad. In the hospital he changed diapers, fed her, burped her, the whole nine. When we came home, I was surprised to see just how hands-on he really was. I almost felt like the back-seat driver in this parenthood thing. In fact, I guess I really was the backseat driver since Eric literally wouldn't let me sit in the front seat of the car for a good month after she was born!
I'd seen other dads who weren't very helpful and not all that interested in their babies. This was so not the case with Eric. At the first few doctors appointments, he totally took over while I was still in my post baby blues stupor. He took charge when I wasn't feeling up to it. In those days following delivery I had no idea how I was going to handle this without him. He knew how to put her in the car seat. He was better at swaddling her (and still is). He discovered ways to stop her from crying. Eventually I caught up, but I am still so proud of the person he's become. He still has his own childlike moments, but I couldn't have asked for a better dad for my daughter.
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