We (she) wake up between 6-7 most mornings. I bring her into my bed to nurse (where I'm warm and comfortable) and then we play there for a little bit. We have breakfast and then she goes down for a nap after about 2 hours. We read a couple of books, I put her in her sleep sack, turn on the sound generator, and she's usually asleep within a few minutes. It's awesome. Now the length of the nap is not consistent...30 minutes is not unusual. But we hope for at least an hour.
I feed her before I leave for work and she either has solids again or a bottle before she next the afternoon nap. Every once in a while she'll take a 3rd nap, but not very often. I breastfeed her when I get home and then she has solids at dinner around 6. Bath at 7, books and kisses at 7:30, then I breastfeed her one more time and lay her down. She rarely cries anymore, usually just rolls over and goes to sleep. It is so nice and we know how lucky we are!
Eating:
She breastfeeds 4 times a day, we only have to supplement formula once or twice a day, and she eats solids 3 times. Her favorites so far are avocado, squash, and carrots. She's a great eater, though, and really hasn't rejected anything completely. She'll fuss if she doesn't like it much, but she still opens her mouth. We tried doing some small chunks of food (avocado and banana), and she was not a fan. She would grimace her face and cough. Same was true of Cheerio halves, but Stephen claims it's because I bought an organic version of Cheerios because I was at Sprouts. I read they dissolve faster, too. I think she's just got to get used to texture that isn't pureed.
Milestones:
She is sitting like a champ these days. She can lean in all directions and pull herself back to sitting. So we've finally been able to put her in a high chair at restaurants! She doesn't always stay there a long time, but it gives us a little bit of time to have everyone eating.
She has begun to communicate with more than just crying, which makes life much nicer! She babbles when she's happy, grunts when she's frustrated, smiles and laughs a lot. With people she loves, she grabs your cheeks with both hands and tries to pull your face towards her. Usually with an open mouth waiting. Perhaps the beginning of understanding kisses?
She loves looking in the mirror and singing the song Stephen made up about the baby in the mirror. She thinks it's very funny. We've also started Peek-a-boo, as long as you don't wait too long to pull the blanket down. She'll even pull the blanket or wash cloth off her own head if you cover her up and ask "Where's Kaitlyn?"
She loves to be outside. If we go for a walk when she's fussy, she'll quiet down and just look around. We got a baby swing and she loves it, she giggles whenever you push it or tickle her feet.
She also loves our animals. We're learning to pet "gentle" with an open hand instead of grabbing handfuls of fur or whiskers. The cat is strangely tolerant, although I don't trust him. He's feisty. Lily, the dog, is great with her. Kaitlyn has gotten handfuls of fur or her lip on occasion and Lily just lets her. I realize that no matter how tolerant, she's still a dog, so I am careful.
Meanwhile, the animals really enjoy Kaitlyn's nap time. You can see the cat considers the changing table his own personal kitty hammock. And the spoiled dog naps on the bed.
Other events this month:
My cousin's daughter's first birthday party was this month. Right now 5-6 months is a big age difference, but I can't wait until they're a little older and will be running around playing.
Stephen's softball season started up again. It was a little chilly, so she's wearing a bunting that's a pig costume. Curly tail and all. I bought it while I was pregnant thinking she'd probably be close to 3-6 month clothes around Halloween (she'd be 2.5 months). Since it was a bunting, it would've been ok a little big. But she was still in newborn, barely entering into 0-3 month clothes at Halloween, so we had to get a different costume. This works well to keep her warm now though.
I have had to deal with some anxiety attacks for the first time in my life this month. I feel for those of you who deal with them a lot, they're awful! I've only had 2 where my heart is racing, palms are sweaty, and I have this overwhelming dread...even though I can't pinpoint what I'm dreading. Both times it was while Kaitlyn was taking her morning nap and I was trying to sleep. And both times it was while I couldn't stop thinking about school. I don't have bad classes, but my classroom management is not as good as it has been in the past. I'm not putting as much time in at school, by choice, and I can tell the difference. But it's the choice I'm making right now.
Logic doesn't seem to help when I'm feeling the anxiety. While I've only had the two "attacks," I have felt anxious and like another attack is lurking just around the corner. I've quit trying to nap myself while Kaitlyn is napping, because that seems to be the worst time. If I stay busy, even just watching tv, it makes things easier. And making sure I get out of the house a couple times a week (other than for work) helps keeps the anxiety at bay as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment