Leia at 8 months

We're on somewhat of a schedule these days, with Leia waking around 6:30, and napping for 30-40 minutes at 9:30, 12:30 and 4:30. Give or take an hour - our days are flexible so I just follow her cues. Bedtime is 7, or earlier if she skips the last nap.

 

Size: 19 pounds even, and wearing clothing size 6-9 months.

 

Favorite things: Her jumperoo and high chair, being kissed, going outside, drumming on things with her hands to make noise (cardboard boxes, the high chair tray and a pool noodle are faves), being worn in a carrier.

 

Least favorite things: Sleeping, teething, being away from Mommy and Daddy. We have some separation anxiety going on.

 

Milestones: Leia now claps and gives kisses! Her third tooth came in this month. She now gets baths in the big tub and has started to enjoy playing during bath time. She can pull up onto her knees when holding onto something, and can sometimes get up on her feet for a few seconds. She can also stand with us holding onto just her hands (previously she needed armpit support). Leia really wants to crawl - it's coming soon!

 

We changed up the bedtime routine to give Mommy a break, and I'm so much happier! Daddy puts her down alone (rather than me nursing her to sleep and her waking most times I tried to slip away). Learning to fall asleep without the boob gives me 2-4 hours of time off in the evenings before she wakes again. Love it! There were some tears involved :( But at least Daddy was/is always there with her.

 

Cutest habits: Clapping. Kissing (of course I can't be sure of her intentions...). Experimenting with her voice and squealing. Holding something in front of her face and taking it down repeatedly - getting us to say "peekaboo!" And often she just likes to lift things up high.

We love to watch her feed herself - she's concentrating and exploring, and it's just so much fun. When she's having fun playing, she does this half-laugh thing, which is basically breathing hard/loud while making a funny face. Ha ha.

 

Firsts: First trip to the zoo, St. Patrick's Day:

Easter:

 

She met her great grandma Jean this month.

We also started Baby Signs class. She signed "more" for the first time right at 8 months (I've been working on a few signs since 6 months).

 

Talents: Playing independently, riding in the car happily, standing, pulling up.

Food: We started the month doing purees, so we introduced pureed carrots and cinnamon in apples. But Leia really started to want to feed herself, so we've been doing a lot of baby-led weaning (which just means that we let her feed herself). It's messy, but fun! She's had: Quinoa, scrambled egg yolk, shredded cheese, cooked carrots, green beans and peas, sweet potato, avocado, mashed potato, blueberries and mango.

Leia at 7 months

Size: 17 pounds, 5 ounces. She's wearing some 3-6 month clothes, and some 6-9 months.

 

Favorite things: Going in the yard with Daddy. When laying on a bed or changing table, picking up her legs high and slamming them down. Sitting in her high chair. Tags on anything - blankets, pillows, toys. Also, buckles and straps (like on the diaper bag and Ergo). A windchime we have hanging in the guest room... whenever we go in that room her eyes immediately go right to it. Mornings. Kisses. Songs. Peekaboo. Daddy's karaoke.

 

Least favorite things: Sleeping. The vacuum. Anyone who's not Mommy or Daddy holding her. Sitting in grass freaked her out. Leia's not tolerating the stroller as much lately, she much prefers being worn in a carrier.

 

Milestones: She's mastered sitting up. I thought it would make my life easier, and it has! Now that she can sit independently, she's more happy to play alone for a bit while I get stuff done. She also likes to sit in her high chair in the kitchen and watch me.

We moved her from the infant car seat  carrier to a convertible car seat. Once she could sit up, she started to scream every time we drove, I think because she didn't want to be in that reclined position. I've lost the convenience of carrying her in the car seat (especially when sleeping), but it's worth it for a happier baby.

Leia finally doubled her birth weight! I'm surprised at how well she can pick up teeny tiny items with her pincer grasp. She will lunge forward while sitting to grab objects too.

 

Cutest habits: Smiling when I kiss her, and when she catches a glimpse in the mirror, or often just at the sheer joy of being picked up.

I forgot to mention last month that Leia figured out how to use a sippy cup and was very proud of herself. She'd take a drink, laugh, and all the water would fall out onto her shirt. Drink, laugh, repeat!

She also will play peekaboo herself - holding up a blanket over her face and taking it down. I don't know if it's on purpose, but she smiles when we say "peekaboo!" when she takes it down.

 

Firsts: Valentines Day. First hour-plus car trip - she went with Mommy to Salida to visit the T family and meet 2-month-old Owen. I started putting her in the cart like a big kid when we go shopping - so cute and she loves it. First time swinging at the park, and going down a slide (on Daddy's lap).

 

Talents: Sitting up. Eating solid foods. Putting her feet in her mouth.

 

Food: Leia has tried homemade pureed banana, avocado, yams, sweet potato, pear, mango, apple and peas, as well as rice cereal, puffs and rice rusks. We've also let her experiment with the non-pureed forms of apples, pears, bell pepper and bread. It took her a few weeks to get used to the idea of eating, but she eventually got the hang of it. She tolerates everything, but I think pears and mangos are her favorite.

Leia at 6 months

Happy half birthday to our sweet, cuddly, curious, shy, funny daughter! We love her so!

Size: 14 pounds, 10 ounces (25th percentile) and 2 feet, 2 inches long (51st percentile). She's wearing size 3-6 month clothes but is too long for some of the pajamas now.

 

Favorite things: Mommy saying "Choo choo," fake sneezing and "boo!" Watching the cat. Her jumperoo. Touching our faces. Playing with things that aren't toys, like a plastic hanger and a water bottle filled with rice. A few months ago I mentioned that the water bottle was too loud and scared her - a lot of things that were scary before are now fun. Like aggressive games of peek-a-boo ;) Leia loves when I sing to her, especially songs that have movement like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." And when I dance like a fool. Clapping is pretty entertaining, I can see her thinking "how are you making that sound with those?"

 

Least favorite things: Having her runny nose wiped and suctioned with the snot sucker. She still won't sleep very long without touching me.

 

Milestones: She started grabbing her feet just after 5 months, and now she can put them in her mouth. Leia is reaching for everything. She wants her hands (and mouth) on every item humanly possible.

She's now eating pretty consistently every 2 hours during the day. Leia used to always prefer nursing to sleep, but now she often doesn't want to for naps. I still can't put her down to sleep, but she sometimes likes for Mommy to wear her in a carrier, pat her back and say "shhh" until she falls asleep.

She can pass objects from hand to hand, has developed her pincher grasp, and can clasp her hands together. When she drops an object while laying down, she can find it and pick it back up again. She can sit for a few seconds, but not consistently yet. She reaches out for Mommy when she wants me to hold her.

 

Cutest habits: Playing with her little feet. Not just looking in the mirror, but putting her hands all over it and discovering how she can hold hands with the other baby. Laughing for no apparent reason. I love when I'm holding her and she looks up at me. It feels like she's saying "This is my favorite place to be, Mama!" She's also started feeling my face/putting her hand in my mouth when she nurses. That started as cute, but is getting less cute because she scratches me without realizing it. She gets excited when Daddy gets home and seems happy to see him.

Helping Mom with the laundry!

Firsts: First tooth came in at 5 and a half months! First time going to Baby Story Time at the library (we started to go every Thursday - wish I had earlier). First cold :( That was NO fun. First tastes of real food - Daddy lets her chew/suck on apples (she likes) and pears (not so much), and we began offering mashed banana (not a fan) last week. Today we tried avocado - she didn't like that either.

See her first tooth?

Talents: Falling asleep when we go for walks, manipulating objects with her hands, being good out in public, tummy time, playing independently first thing in the morning while Mommy gets ready (the rest of the day... not as much).

Leia at 5 months

5 months! Look at this big kid! I really feel like I'm going to blink and she'll be in kindergarten.

These shots are also worth sharing because she's just so darn cute:

 

Size: 13 lbs., 13 oz. Size 3-6 month clothing.

 

Favorite things: Putting everything in her mouth, peekaboo/baby yoga/talking with mommy, going for walks, a singing nursery rhyme book that was a Christmas gift from Lola. She likes when I tap on the window - and actually she's very interested in most new sounds.

 

I can make her laugh by doing really stupid dances for her, and she laughed at Aunt Rose when she did horrible karaoke. She's also a little ticklish in her armpits.

 

Leia loves drinking water too. She won't drink it out of a bottle or sippy cup, but I give her sips from my cup and she really likes it. I think feeding her solids is going to be a lot of fun! We're waiting until 6 months for that though.

New Years Eve

Least favorite things: Practicing sitting - she much prefers to be standing. Leia is very much attached to mommy right now and has separation anxiety. She does not like strangers! She's also really sensitive to smells and will cry if the kitchen gets a little smokey when I'm cooking, and she wasn't a fan of the weird smells at Home Depot. Sleeping without touching Mommy.

Christmas Eve

Milestones: She's really mastering control of her hands and reaching for objects a lot. I think she knows her name. She learned to roll the day before her 5 month birthday. I put her on her stomach for tummy time, turned away, and when I looked back she was on her back! She'll turn toward noises (She might have at 4 months, I can't remember. Oops). It seems like overnight her hair got much thicker.

Cutest habits: Laughing, talking/babbling, squealing. Smiling. I love when she's playing with a toy and smiles at us like "Isn't this SO much fun?!"

Firsts: First charitable donation: We participated in a breastmilk donation drive. And first time volunteering: We participated in "Baby Night" at Daddy's PTA school. The students observed her development and reflexes, though it didn't go too well due to that stranger anxiety! First Christmas and New Years Eve. First sips of water.

PTA school baby night

Talents: Being good in public, tummy time, standing up, getting drool on everything.

Leia at 4 months

It's so much fun watching our girl's personality emerge. She's super smiley and cheerful for the few of us she knows and loves, but very serious for strangers. She's always studying the world and taking everything in.

 

 

Size: 13 pounds, 8 ounces (33rd percentile) and 2 feet long (37th percentile). Clothing size 3-6 months.
 

Favorite things: Hearing interesting sounds like running water and plastic bags crinkling (a nice crunchy chip bag is her fave), standing up, putting her hands (and everything else she can get her hands on) in her mouth. Baby yoga, which a friend taught me to do with her and we do it every day. Going new places. Looking out the window. Blowing raspberries. She's liking tummy time a lot more too. She loves sitting in the Bumbo chair. Favorite people include Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Aunt Rose.

Least favorite things: The lint roller! Poor baby - it makes a high pitched squeaky noise that seems to terrify her. I also made a "rattle" by putting dry rice in an empty water bottle, and that's a little scary too (it's really loud). She hates driving about half the time.
 

Milestones: Leia officially knows how to use her hands - she started reaching for toys just before 16 weeks old. She's been sucking on her hands basically since birth, but it seems like she's now more aware of what her hands can do.

She's on her way to sitting up - she mostly falls over a second after we let go, but we're getting there.

 

We're working on napping alone. She's always nursed to sleep and then stayed on mommy for her nap. The minute I put her down, she wakes up. It's tough. I've been nursing her to sleep in bed, then slipping away. I can sometimes get a half hour of alone time this way.

 

Cutest habits: Smiling, laughing and squealing. Big observant eyes. Baby talking. Leia usually smiles when I kiss her... I don't know if it tickles, it's a funny sound or if she knows it's mommy saying "I love you," but oh do I love it!

Firsts: First election, Thanksgiving, Tacky Holiday Sweater Party, first attempts at sitting up.

Leia and her friend Velen in their tacky sweaters

Talents: Assisted standing, tummy time, blowing raspberries and spit bubbles, being a great, well-behaved baby out in public.

Dear Secret Santa,

Here's some more info to explain what this lady might like for Christmas...

 

1. Necklace with Leia's name on it... something like this. So cool right? :) Can be ordered here.

 

 

2. 2 or 3-tiered fruit basket. I see these at Ross all the time.

 

3. Maybe some Tom's shoes, in (I think!) size 11. Can be purchased at lots of shoe stores, department stores or online.

 

 

Just some suggestions... thank you, SS!

The truth about having a newborn

I'm already starting to forget about this, so I better get it out now before it fades into mom-nesia and I remember those first weeks as blissful and relaxing. I want to share how freaking hard it is to have a newborn because I think most new parents feel it but are afraid to share.

 

I didn't love having a newborn. It was exhausting and monotonous and anxiety-inducing. I loved my daughter - and was so thankful for her - but caring for her took every ounce of effort I had! Feed the baby, feed the baby, change the baby. That's about all I did.

 

Feeding her. I've already shared about our breastfeeding challenges (but that post was super boring so I don't blame you if you didn't read it), but even after I was producing enough milk it was just so time consuming! I knew that newborn babies eat a lot, but it just didn't sink in just how much time I'd spend nursing. For a long, long time (at least the first 2 months) Leia was eating every hour. Sometimes multiple hours at a time. It's so hard to have to pee or eat or take a shower, but not being able to.

 

Leaving the house. Until about 10 weeks, the idea of taking her anywhere in public (especially the grocery store) gave me so much anxiety. What if she starts crying right there and I can't calm her?! For the first 2 months I often couldn't calm her without my boob, and you can't exactly nurse in the middle of a store. And just driving with her was hard with all those postpartum hormones and her crying - once she was screaming on a 5-10 minute drive and I was convinced that she thought I had abandoned her. Those hormones, man!

 

Taking care of myself. When you're feeding your child constantly, it's so freaking hard to pee or vacuum or cook dinner! Everyone tells you not to worry about anything but taking care of the baby, but you can't help but want to do these things. Plus you really have to feed yourself and take a bathroom break once in a while.

 

What helped?

 

Accepting it. I had to change my mindset from "It's so hard feeding her every hour! WHY??" to "I just have to feed her every hour for a while. This is my life and I have to embrace it." I accepted that I can't cook dinner until James is home from work - if at all (more often than not I do not cook dinner). And I can't do any housework except on Tuesdays when my mom comes over to play with the baby and give me a break (thank you Mom!!). When I just accepted that this is how it is, it was easier to deal with!

 

Spending time with other new moms. Leia and I go to a Mommy and Me group almost every Wednesday. It's specifically for Kaiser members, but there are lots of others. We've made lots of friends through that group, and almost every week we also have a play date or some kind of activity with mom and baby friends who I can relate to. Something changes in you when you become a parent, and you need to talk with people who are going through the same thing.

 

Time. As baby grew, it just got easier. We got used to each other and I got used to my new schedule (or lack thereof). Now at 3 and a half months old, Leia is nursing every 1.5 to 2.5 hours, rather than every hour like for the first 2 months of her life. She'll let me go on walks for up to an hour with her. And while at a month old, the thought of taking her in public terrified me, I have now started to realize that she enjoys going new places and is usually really well behaved. I just feed her right before we leave and carry her in the Ergo whenever we go out - she loves looking around!

I remember driving with Leia when she was 6 weeks old, and having a moment where I realized "Wow, this is getting easier! I can handle it!" Then again at 12 weeks I had that moment where it got easier yet.

New moms of the world: Hang in there! It gets better. Don't let anyone (including yourself) let you feel guilty for not enjoying every moment. That baby is adorable, but caring for him or her is hard. You'll get used to it and love the parenting process so much more soon!