2 months!

Our little girl is growing up fast!!

Last Thursday Harper had her 2 month check-up where she got a great clean bill of health! She weighed in at 10lbs 8ozs and was a whopping 23 1/4 inches long!! Wow! Where did my itty-bitty baby go?! She is tall & skinny with her weight only in the 26% range and her height at 76%! Lucky girl! 😉

2 Months!!! 🙂

The doctor was also really impressed with her head control. Harper came out of the womb holding her head high and has got amazing neck control (I think it is all the wrapping!). I was nervous about the part of the exam when the Dr put her on her tummy since she usually HATES tummy-time and won’t do anything but lay there and scream……but luckily Harper picked her whole upper body up and just started looking side to side like a champ! Little show off! 😉   I brought up how she has shown no interest in rolling from tummy to back (since she hates tummy-time) but the Dr didn’t seem concerned. The crazy thing is that Harper is getting so close to rolling from back to tummy! That is the harder one kiddo! She throws her feet up in the air and over…..as soon as she gets a little more strength to get over that pesky arm she will have it.

It is sooooo much fun seeing her start to reach her milestones. Everyday it seems like she changes and does something new. I am so blessed to get to stay home with her and experience this! She has been smiling so much more (though you still have to work pretty hard for it…she doesn’t give them up easy!) and has started doing a breathy giggle. Too cute!

Along with the check-up came the dreaded 2 month shots 😦   Dan and I were DREADING them, but we knew they had to be done! Poor little thing got 2 shots in each leg. She screamed during the shots and sobbed for about 30 minutes after them (I tried to nurse her right away but she was crying too hard). It broke my heart. Dan and I ended up crying along with her…..all three of us sat in the room for awhile trying to calm down.  :*(

After her shots she was pretty cranky all day. Everytime she would move her little legs she would start crying all over again. Tylenol worked well against the fever….but nothing helped the pain it seemed like! Ugh! It has been a few days now & she still isn’t 100% herself….but we are getting there! Luckily we have no more shots until 4 months.

During all this craziness we also had visitors come to play! Dan’s twin brother finally got back from deployment and came with his girlfriend to meet Harper! Dan’s little brother also came to join in the fun! A household full of Thurow boys….OY! 😉  I missed out on some of the fun since Harper was so fussy but we all managed to spend a few hours at the Science & Industry Museum playing like little kids. I have to say……that was the most amazing museum I have ever been too!!! Harper enjoyed it too 🙂  We actually had so much fun that Dan & I bought an annual membership. Hehe!

Here are some fun photos from our day out!

A day on the lake for the Tall Ships!

Model Train Exhibit!

All the Navy Boys!

Bye Bye Daddy!

Submarine Captain! 🙂

 She makes the littlest thing so much fuN! 🙂

Parenting: Never say never!

At least I’m eating my crow still warm! 😉

These past few days I’ve been reflecting on how our life has been since Harper (amazing!!) and the type of mommy I’ve become. It is amazing to me how I am exactly the type of mom I swore I would never be! Guess the old saying of “never say never” is true! 🙂

I pictured myself as a mom who had her baby on a schedule from the first day out (after all we did it to the babies at work…why not at home?), never coslept, would be ok with the baby crying a little if I knew she was fed/changed/unharmed, and would be able to leave the baby with friends or family to get some “me” time.

Before I got pregnant I used to lurk on some different mommy boards online and learned about different styles of parenting. I will admit now that I judged a lot…and especially those parents who practiced “attachment parenting”. ::hangs head in shame::  It just sounded so weird! Co-sleeping, babywearing, extended breastfeeding, BLW (baby led weaning), cloth diapering, gentle discipline, anti CIO (cry it out), feeding on demand, etc…. Surely this would result in those kiddos who are extremely spoiled & sheltered! Right?!

After we found out that we were expecting I started doing actual research into different aspects of baby care and parenting…..suddenly some of the “weird” things didn’t seem quite so weird! I fell in love with cloth diapers (cheaper, healthier, environmentally friendly, and cuter! Whats not to love?!) and babywearing. So many studies I saw talked about the 4th trimester and how it was much better developmentally for infants to be held close during this time. Plus I liked the idea of not having to lug around a stroller (we didn’t even purchase one and haven’t missed it yet!). I even began liking the idea of BLW which is a  method of introducing solid foods, where the baby feeds himself instead of eating purees (http://www.baby-led.com/).

While I was starting to understand some points of the AP lifestyle I was still determined that we would start a schedule, not co-sleep, and that I would not jump at every little cry.

And then……I pushed out the most gorgeous 6lb 15oz baby I had ever seen. She opened her mouth and let out a cry. All my “ideas” flew out the window.

Suddenly feeding on a schedule seemed stupid to me! If she is hungry or just wanting to pacify why wouldn’t I offer it to her? She will set her own schedule eventually and I’m in no rush for her to sleep through the night. I knew going into this that there would be many sleepless nights with a baby…..and it hasn’t been too bad…for the most part! 😉

Co-sleeping? Well I resisted for the first 3 weeks and then we brought her into our bed one night while out of town (after I reasearched how to do it safely!! http://babyparenting.about.com/od/sleeping/a/cosleep.htm) and it felt so natural! As another mom pointed out “all other animals sleep with their young curled up beside them…what is natural about ours being down the hall in their own bed right out of the womb?”. Since then we have moved Harper’s crib into our room where she starts off the night (since we don’t go to sleep when she does) and she usually joins us in bed when she wakes for her first night feeding. I love the cuddles and everyone gets much better sleep! We still use her cribs for naps and plan to slowly transition her to her own room around 4-6 months. From what I’ve seen with most moms I know it is not “if” they sleep with their baby it is “when” they sleep with their baby! 😉

And the idea that I would be ok if she cried? Laughable! 🙂  The sound of her crying is more than I can take. I’ve been stuck in a room with a dozen screaming newborns (neuro kids anyone?!) and it didn’t phase me a bit…..but hearing my own daughter cry drives me to tears! I respond to all cries and the thought of leaving her to CIO breaks my heart! She has cried herself to sleep many times but always in my arms while I try to comfort her. I’ve found so many “gentle” ways to help sleep train if the need ever arises (The No Cry Sleep Solution is a great book!).

I now have a baby who is never left to cry, feeds on demand, cloth diapered, worn or held almost all day, co-sleeps, will be BLW and extended breastfed! My how tasty that crow is! 😉   We even attend an AP mommy group….I have completely turned over to the dark side! 🙂  It all feels completely natural!

Two things I’ve learned since becoming a mommy:

1. Never say never

and

2. Don’t judge other parents! What works for us might not work for them! Every family is different and every baby is different! As long as there is no actual neglect or abuse……live and let live! 🙂

A Day in the Life of Harper

Life with a strong-willed newborn is both fun & exhausting!

I no longer believe in putting a baby on any specific schedule….my feeling is that it is more beneficial to follow your babies cues. When they have days where they want to nurse every 15 minutes All.Day.Long, I feel that there is a reason for it (growth spurt, upset tummy…who knows!). Usually babies start to put themselves on some sort of schedule after a few months!

Since we don’t have Harper on a schedule our days can seem pretty unpredictable but lately I’ve been keeping a log of her sleep/wake/feed cycles and she does seem to (slowly) be setting her own schedule.

Here is what a typical day for us is:

0900 – wakeup, nurse, diaper, bath (every 3rd day), play

1015 – nap (mommy attempts to do a quick workout & laundry!)

1100 – play, eat (she gets a small bottle of pumped milk and her probiotics), diaper, get dressed for the day

1215 – nap (mommy attempts to shower and get dressed!)

1330 – play

1400 – nap

1430 – nurse, diaper, play

1515 – go for our walk (or run errands if needed!)

1630 – come home, nurse, diaper, play

1840 – nap

1910 – nurse, diaper, “play” (our witching hour begins!)

2030 – bedtime routine (we do this between 2030 & 2130)

2130 – finally asleep in bed!

0230 – nurse

0445 – nurse, diaper

0715 – nurse

 Rinse and repeat! 😉

Naps: Harper usually takes around 4 naps a day. Almost all of them are short cat-naps of 30 minutes which makes it hard for me to get anything accomplished! Once she falls asleep it can be really hard to actually lay her down (she prefers sleeping in arms! hehe!) so I am either stuck on the couch or rushing to get something done in the 10-15 min left once I get her down! She usually does one good long nap somewhere in the day……but there is no telling what time! Sometimes her long nap starts in the morning and other times it is in late afternoon. Really hard to plan around! :)~

Play: This term is used very very loosely! I use this term for any time that she is awake and not eating! My sweet little girl is not easily entertained! Many babies around her age in our mommy group are content to sit in a swing/bouncer…be read to…stare at mommy making faces….watch rattles being shaken….etc. Not my child! She hates her swing/bouncer/activity mats with a passion. An attempt to place into or on any of these items is a guaranteed meltdown within 2 minutes. She also has no interest in being read to (I hope this changes because I have looked forward to reading to her since before I found out I was pregnant!) or watching any type of toy/rattle being shaken. We do a lot of singing with hand movements (like itsy-bitsy spider or patty cake) for development (teaches them that they have hands & feet!) but those activities will only interest her for about 5 minutes! The one and only thing that she loves to do is be walked around looking over my shoulder at everything. My little girl always wants to be on the move!! We pace the house all day looking at pictures or out the window or at the stove/microwave/mirror/washer….I think there are going to be permanent grooves in the floor here soon! If I stop for even a few seconds the fussing starts! She knows what she wants & she is going to get it! I never thought entertaining a 7 wk old would be so hard!

Witching Hour – Oh the dreaded evenings! Though it’s not every night (probably 4 nights a week) and the time changes it usually starts between 6 & 7pm. During this time NOTHING (and I mean nothing!) will make her happy!   We do a lot of walking, bouncing, rocking, swaying, singing, nursing, etc during this time but she is one unhappy little girl! We originally suspected colic but I don’t think that is the issue. I honestly believe she is just unwinding from the day and doesn’t know how to do it! She is super tired but fights sleep with every ounce of her body. The “witching hour” usually last about 2 hrs and can drive a person nuts! I’m usually the one stuck dealing with it since Dan leaves for work around that time (lucky!). Dan attempts to help out on his days off…..but they seem to feed frustration off of each other so I get called in pretty quick! This started when she was about 3 wks old and I’ve heard it gets better around 3 months, I hope so!

Bedtime – While we don’t believe in schedules we are trying to introduce a routine into her night schedule. We typically start this process between 8:30 & 9:30 but try to read her sleepy signals. Our bedtime routine is: lotion & massage, diaper change, pajamas, swaddle, book, nurse, rock to sleep. Once she has fallen asleep we start the process of trying to get her into her bed. We wait until she is completely limp and lay her down. She usually wakes up 5-10 min later and we rock/sway and repeat the process. It usually takes us 3-4 attempts for her to actually stay asleep! All in all our bedtime routine takes about 1 ½ hours!

Nights – Harper is still waking up 2-3 times a night to nurse but it has gotten much easier lately! She is a very efficient feeder and can usually drain me in about 10 minutes. In the beginning it took forever to get her to go back to sleep but lately she has been falling asleep almost as soon as she is done! Yay! If she is struggling to go back asleep I will just keep her in bed with us and she passes out quick! (She bed-shares with me on nights that Dan works…..before I get tons of responses about this I have done the research and we have taken every precaution to keep it safe! When done correctly it is actually safer than her sleeping in another room.). I don’t mind the night wakings (as long as she goes back down quickly!) and love the cuddle time we get in! I am in no hurry for her to start sleeping through the night!

My kiddo is definitely not easy-going! To be honest though we actually love that she seems so strong-minded! My days at home with her are long and hard but I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing! This crazy newborn stage is flying by already and one day I’m going to miss having my little fussy-pants that just wanted to be held and walked! I do wish she liked her activity mat or toys though…..I’m having a hard time coming up with things to do developmentally without them!

I can say this though: I do not know how people have more than one!!! The thought of having to do this with a toddler makes me want to sleep for the next million years! I can’t wait for the time when we decide to have our second (we want 3!) but I don’t know how I will do it!

No matter how hard/crazy this thing called mommyhood is it is worth every minute for this little face! How could you not love it?!

Those little eyes are always wanting to see more!!

One a side note – She started smiling this week!!! She gave me 2 smiles on Thursday (8/5) and is getting better and better with them! It melts my heart and instantly takes away all the stress/frustration! She seems to know when mommy is about to jump out a window because that is when she releases one! Hehe!

Superstar in the making!

Well the 6wk growth spurt has come and (thankfully) gone! Poor Harper was a mess for about 3 days but she seems so much happier now! Dan and I can tell she grew a ton during this little spurt just by how she fills out her carseat now! Her newborn clothes are also on their last leg….I may be able to get another week out of them but then it will be time to say goodbye (oh man that made me tear up!).

As sad as I am to see my little newborn get bigger it has been amazing to see the changes in personality just from the past few days! It seemed like overnight she all of a sudden started responding to us! 🙂  While she has loved to look around for weeks now we couldn’t really get her to engage with us, but starting yesterday she locked onto our faces and seems enthralled (as are we!). She seems to love just staring at us and making funny faces! I have been anxiously awaiting that first real smile and I think it is coming very very soon! Today she started looking at me and doing a funny lopsided face that you could tell was her trying to figure out this whole smile thing! Too cute! She is busy working those little mouth muscles so I think a full toothless grin is just around the corner……I can’t wait!!! 🙂 These funny faces along with the little coos & squeaks she makes are melting my heart. I fear that I am going to be absolute putty around her (Dan already is!).

Today she got to show off how adorable she is in her first photoshoot! My little 6 weeker was supermodel for a day! hehe! A few weeks ago I heard that one of the cloth diaper companies was looking for babies to model their new diapers and I sent Harper’s info in. The photoshoot got rescheduled a few times but luckily today everything worked out. The photos are going to be used in the company’s brochures and advertisements…I can’t wait to see my little girl in print! Harper was the youngest baby there and the diapers were still a little too big for her….but who doesn’t love an extra large fluffy baby butt?! Everyone loved her (especially her hair!) and there was even talk that she might be the cover model! This mamma is so proud! 🙂  I’m not sure when we will get to see the photos but you know I will be very quick to show them off! We even got to take home several free Tiny Tush diapers (fitted and pockets) as well as a cover and several hemp/microfiber inserts! Perfect timing since I’m starting to order the rest of my “stash”.

Here is a picture of Harper in action:

She is obviously a pro at "tummy time"!

 My other big event this week was getting my new wrap in the mail!! It is even prettier than I imagined and it is so supportive and cool! No more sweating! Harper loves it too! I started wearing her in the Front Cross Carry and she seems much more comfortable….she falls asleep in about 2 minutes each time I put her in! Yay for a wrap with sleeping dust! We are going to our first “mommy group” meeting on Tuesday and it is a babywearing group so I’m excited to play with a few more wraps and learn some new carries!

Me and my little monkey showing off our new wrap:

Sorry for the crappy iPhone picture!

Being a mom is so much fuN!