Baby Hawk

This past weekend we went on a family walk around the neighborhood since it's been so beautiful outside. We have not had much of a winter this year. I haven't even gotten to wear my heavy coats, long underwear or scarves. We've had 70 - 75 degree days in January and February, not that I am complaining. Maya finally decided she liked her baby carrier. I had tried several times to put her in it, but she always screamed. I don't think she liked being confined. So I put her in a short sleeve onesie, and we took half the walk in the carrier (so she could get used to it) and once she started to fidget, we put her in the stroller. It was very nice spending time outside!

Things she is up to these days....



She likes playing with  her links

Having morning coffee with mommy

Enjoys her baths and kicking in the water. She splashes mommy in the eye!

She likes her new toy, an exersaucer. Her favorite thing so far is the chameleon who sings all the colors.

She loves to pretend stand, it's one of her favorite things to do.
 

Everything is going into her mouth. She will choke herself on her hand!

She is making razzing / gurgling sounds with her mouth and likes talking to herself in the mirror.

She has the sweetest smile I've ever seen. She smiles when she wakes up in the morning, when she goes to sleep and in the middle of the night.

She's rocking and rolling....mostly from her back to tummy. She likes to roll when she is supposed to be sleeping :) She's only rolled over once from tummy to back, but everyone missed it. She sure is trying hard to do it again or crawl somewhere.


She likes to give mommy and daddy finger hugs while drinking from her bottle....she can also almost hold her bottle.


She likes going outside. Grandpa takes her to the garden and on the riding lawnmower!



She's caught up for her weight (50th percentile) and height (25th)... A long way from below 5!




 I will try not to let too much time pass before the next post!

Four Months

So I guess I am a terrible mom since I have not written anything about Baby Girl in so long! It must of been because back in those days she was sleeping a lot and I had lots of time. Well now that I am back to work I have NO time. I am behind on everything. Like I told my sister in law today.... We are just keeping our head down trying to survive. I read a good analogy the other day about the first three months after having a baby... "The first 90 days feel like climbing a mountain. You have to stay focused, keep your head down, and push through it. before you know it, you will reach the top, and the skies will clear, and all will be bright." So true, and I wish I would have read it four months ago.... When I gave up so easily on breastfeeding because I was tired and stressed mixed with a little post-partum depression and didn't know what I was doing. One of my biggest regrets. I tried pumping and she threw it all up. I gave up too easily. But on the other hand, Maya is healthy and growing!! She's a happy baby, except when she is tired. I can't believe how fast four months has gone. I remember when she was a newborn and I would be up with her in the middle of the night and it was so hard... I remember saying to myself that I needed to enjoy and remember these times because she will never be this small again, and there were moments I just wanted to bottle up time so I could look back on that moment later. I would smell her sweet skin and kiss her head. Now I already feel those memories slipping away.... Time is so bittersweet. I miss rocking her to sleep, holding her for 30 minutes after eating (reflux) and I would fall asleep holding her. But I know we have many more memories and adventures to look forward to!

Who knew you had to help a baby go to sleep!?

Yes, I've learned a lot these past 7 weeks. When your baby gets tired you sometimes have to help them go to sleep. This means rocking, swaddling, shhhh'ing, white noise, walking, bouncing or a combination of all of the above. If they are tired, why don't they just go to sleep!? Then when you think they are finalllllly asleep, you walk away and 5 minutes later they start to cry. Then the process starts all over again. But once they are asleep, don't they look so precious??

Maya has been gaining a lot of weight, I've been weighing her at home and the last weigh in, she was 8 pounds, 13 ounces! She's getting so big. I've started to let her sleep longer at night (against my dr's orders...oops) but she seems to eat better when I let her wake up hungry. Plus she's eating a ton during the day. I read a good bit of advice that said "You are raising your baby, not your doctor... take them to the doctor when they are sick, etc..." Since I spend 24/7 with my baby, I think I can make the best decisions for her. So we will see how that goes.

Here's some pics of Maya playing on the rug in her nursery.

I've been trying to read her "The Night Before Christmas" but I guess I am not picking out the right times to read to her because she always starts to cry before Santa brings the presents!! Poor thing doesn't know about presents yet. :(

Maya had her first play date with her friends Baby Eason and Baby Bryn, whose mommies, Lorie and Kerie, are my college friends. They were all born within a week apart of each other, and I hope we can have some more play dates in the future. The mommies had a fun sleep over and drank wine. It was like a vacation for me!

Mommy thought she had good head control, so I set her in her Bumbo. She lasted about one minute. Hopefully when she's older she will enjoy it more. Here's a before and after shot.

Molly and Maya are getting along just fine.

Here's a pic of me and Maya on Thanksgiving.... I've been trying to get more pics of us together, as I seem to be the one always behind the lens.

And finally, I bought Maya a stocking (the biggest one in the center, so she better be good so it can get filled up!) and both the pets now have their own stocking, they used to share. Have you ever heard of a dog and cat sharing anything?

Three Weeks!

Wow. I can't believe it's been three weeks already. It's gone by fast. I think we're are settling into more of a routine now. There have been some tough times when both Maya and her mommy are crying at the same time, but there's been lots of good times too! I guess this is parenthood :) Maya and I have made many outings together... walks around the neighborhood, restaurants and shopping and she's been pretty calm so far! Getting out of the house feels wonderful.

First off, Maya is doing much better with her weight gain! She now weighs 7 pounds. She is still a very small baby, in the 5th percentile for height and weight. Maybe she'll catch up later or just be a petite child.

I think she is starting to pay more attention to things around her, or being able to see better, she stares at the mobile on her bouncer and swing very intently.

For some reason if she is crying and I lay her down to change her diaper, she stops!! Aren't most babies opposite?

Sometimes when she sneezes, it sounds like she is saying "thank you" afterwards.

I have to be careful not to get her overtired / overstimulated because then she is very hard to put to bed!

Tummy troubles

Some of you may know that little Maya has had trouble gaining weight. She spits up a large amount on occasion and seemed to be uncomfortable when eating. The pediatrician thought she might have reflux, so she prescribed her Zantac. I hate that she has to be on a medicine so young, so I hope she really needs it. She has a new formula that has a thickener that is supposed to keep her from spitting up as much. She was supposed to gain her birth weight in 2 weeks, but it took her almost 3. She had only gained 2 ounces in like a week and a half and once she started the new formula and Zantac, she gained 4 ounces in 3 days! She is making progress, but the doctor would still like her to gain more weight. She still continues to spit up and I am worried sometimes she is not getting enough :(  Mommy is working hard feeding her every 3 hours and keeping her awake to finish her bottle.


Weight check

All the things it takes to keep a baby fed and happy!!

Two weeks

Today Maya is already two weeks old! It's been a blur of diapers, bottles and burps. Most nights she lets me get about 6 hours of sleep (not straight through, but it's good enough!). She's been smiling more, especially when falling asleep. She's been through all kinds of torture the past week... she had to go back to the hospital to get her PKU test and she got her first bath. She liked the bath until we had to wash her back, then she cried harder than I have ever heard her cry...poor wee bit. She also had her first Whole Foods trip, yay! Also we celebrated her first Halloween, which meant her sleeping through all the trick or treaters, and she didn't even get any candy! :(