Your First Fever

Yes, it’s true.

You are 20 months and have finally spiked a fever. Daddy isn’t feeling well today either. You’ve been very mellow all day and have hardly eaten anything. Tonight, I carried you in the Ergo and walked to Rite Aid to buy an ear thermometer (what kind of mother gets through the first year and a half without an ear thermometer?!  You can report me to the authorities, I’ll understand). Anyway, you snuggled with me the entire walk. You love cuddling and all you want is to be held today. Before bedtime, I took your temperature and it was 102.7. I called Grammy and then the 24/7 nurse line. Between the fever reducer and the way you perked up a bit while I was on the phone, I think everything is going to be okay. You are asleep on my chest in the rocking chair right now and I am soaking it up. You aren’t still much these days. After all, you know how to run!  Perhaps I should incorporate a bit of an update here:

• You are 20 months.
• You talk and sign all of the time. You say daddy, mommy, Ella, doggie, bird, airplane, balloon, sit, go, stop, up, step, ball, book, cereal, apple, banana, Sydney, fish, shoes, shirt, house, bath, hi, bye, play, help me and I’m sure there are more words I’m forgetting.
• You sign stop, doggie, bird, kitty, ball, doll, play, potty, sleep, cereal, milk, please, thank you, car, bus, airplane, cracker, girl, boy, cousin, elephant, baby, boat, yogurt, blueberry, strawberry, pear, shoes, bath, grass, children, friend, help me and I’m sure there are more signs I’m forgetting.

• You are pretty good at sharing your outdoor toys at the park. You love to climb the play structure. You’re no longer a fan of slides. You love the seesaw.
• We have some major eating issues. You like things crisp and crunchy like a cracker or smooth and smashed like a purée. You are not into finger foods. We are seeing an occupational therapist for these issues, and you have made a great deal of progress in the last two months.
• You are a mama’s girl through and through. You love doing whatever I’m doing; from clipping my fingernails to going potty. Now if you would just start eating like mama…

• You get frustrated easily and cry when things don’t go your way. We have taught you to say “help me” when you need help and you usually say and sign it.
• You entertain yourself beautifully. You like sitting in your “house” (the tent Auntie Mel gave you for Easter) and reading books. You can play with your blocks for long periods of time.
• You live for Baby Signing Time. We watch it once a day and you are glued to it. You sing and sign right along with the children. Then, when the episode is over, you turn the TV off. We are learning boundaries and limits already.

You are such a sweet girl, MB. You give hugs and kisses to almost everyone. We are blessed every day by your joyful presence.

Love,

Mama

A Sixteen Month Update

My dearest MB,

Is it true?!  Have 16 months come and gone with you here with us?!  What joy you bring to our lives, little one!  You are so sweet. It is an honor and pleasure to spend my days with you.

Let’s see… It’s time for an update.

• You were 21 pounds 8 ounces at your last checkup (15 months). You are 31 inches tall. You have moved from the 15th percentile in weight to the 25th. You are growing.
• You are not a very good eater. You eat, but pretty much because you have to. You usually have to have something in your hands distracting you from the actual eating. You have taken an interest in feeding yourself with utensils.

• You pretty much only eat food that is smashed. You eat a variety of things, but your favorite is yogurt, cereal, bananas, mango, and avocado. You do enjoy crackers, especially teething biscuits.
• You have weaned and are now drinking soy milk. No cow’s milk for you (or anything related, like cheese). You don’t seem to like the taste. Although, you’ve taken to ice cream…
• You sign a lot!!  It’s so fun communicating with you!  You have signed more than 40 words. I will record them at the end of this post so as to not bore our readers at this point. *

• You are very smiley. People notice your smiles and comment often.
• You are a great sleeper!  THANK YOU!!  You sleep about 10-11 hours each night and take a 2-hour nap during the day (usually). We put you to bed awake and you fall asleep on your own (amazing!!). Today, I laid you down and you talked to yourself for an hour before finally drifting off!  *disclaimer* Your molars are coming in. These past two weeks have not been great with sleeping through the night. However, your THREE hour naps during the day have helped me deal with our middle of the night interruptions a little better.
• You love the park. Now that you can crawl all over the play structure, you don’t swing much. You love to crawl up the stairs and slide, on your tummy, feet first, down slides. You love getting dirty in sand and wood chips.

• You are finally walking!!  You took your first real consecutive steps on Thanksgiving day (15 and a half months). As of this weekend, you are now walking more than crawling!  Look out…you are officially a toddler!
• You do so well in the nursery now. We leave you during church and I leave you during MOPs. I’m glad you have adjusted.
• One of my favorite things about you is that you are quick to obey (I’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts!). When you are asked to give something to mommy or daddy, you do. You usually cry after you realize what you’ve just done. When told not to touch something, you usually don’t. Again, you cry, but it’s easy to distract you. You are a sweetheart!

• You are also good at entertaining yourself. It’s fun to watch you play with your toys. You still love your books. We read together quite often. Your favorite book is “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.”
• You said your first official word this past Friday…”ball.”  Yesterday, you started saying “more.”

You are growing so fast! We love you.

Love,

Mama & Daddy

* Milk, water, banana, cracker, eat, more, please, hot, dog, cow, horse, cat, bunny, bird, chicken, squirrel, turtle, dance, car, airplane, motorcycle, bus, friend, baby, mommy, daddy, auntie, uncle, cousin, grandma, bath, brush teeth, hurt, asleep, help me, farm, wind, light…

Twelve Months

Dear MB,

For your first birthday, we went to Ocean Park for a party.  Lots of family came and Auntie Lea made you a delicious cake and cupcakes.  It was a very fun day.  Here are some pictures.

Eleven Months

Dear MB,

You are now 11 months! In less than a month, you will be one whole year! Where has the time gone?!

Here are some of your latest stats:

• You are 17 pounds, 15 ounces.
• You are 29.5 inches long.
• You talk all the time!
• Grammy taught you to play pattycake this month.  You love to clap now.

• You sign “more” when you want more to eat.
• You love avocado, bananas, and yogurt. You eat mangoes, strawberries, peaches, apples, pears, prunes, cereal, sweet potatoes, carrots, cherries,…
• I make almost all of it myself.
• You are crawling/pulling yourself everywhere! You follow me from room to room.

• You have 2 teeth on the bottom gums and 2 teeth coming in on the top.
• You pull yourself up to standing with assistance.
• You’re a good sleeper! Ten to eleven hours at night and 2 naps during the day. I’m a lucky mama!
• You still love your pacifier.

• We go for walks at least twice a day (the weather is always perfect!). You still love to swing at the park and ride in your stroller.
• You love to be held upside down.
• You have the cutest little baby tan (from all of our walks!). The little lines between your rolls are white!
• You’re doing a bit better with the nursery…as long as we go to a morning service. The evening service is just too late and you cry most of the time.

• We left you for the WHOLE day this month. Daddy and I went to see Mary Poppins (the broadway production) and you stayed with Auntie Mel and your cousins. You were a very good girl and we enjoyed our day away.
• You’ve had two rounds of parent-and-me swim class. You seem to like the water but get tired of the same exercises each week. You just want to splash and play!
• You love to be held, especially when you are tired and sensitive.

We keep falling deeper in love with you, baby girl. We are so grateful for God’s gift to us…you.

Love,

Mama & Daddy

Ten Months

Dear MB,

We’re in double-digits now–10 months old! This month has gone by SO fast!

• You now weigh 17 pounds, 4 ounces.
• You are 29 inches long.
• You eat solids three times a day. You like just about everything we give you–cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, bananas, avocado, mango, apricots, blueberries, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, potatoes, peaches, carrots…
• You have two teeth! On the bottom gums.

• I think you’ve had a growth spurt this month. You wake in the early morning for an extra feeding. Our nursing sessions are longer than usual. You have been taking an extra nap most days. And, I am amazed at how much you eat!
• You are so happy. Strangers comment all of the time how social you are (as long as you’re in the safety net of your stroller or my arms). I pull your paci out of your mouth and you smile BIG and on demand!
• You’ve always been a good sleeper. This has been a rougher month, but nothing too bad. I put you down awake for naps and you hardly ever make a fuss! We’ve let you cry-it-out several times and it (almost) always works. You listen to Baby Mozart during your sleeps. (-:
• You roll and army-crawl all over the place! We love to lay on the floor in your room together and read or play.

• You “talk” all of the time! Your babbling and coos are so fun to listen to. In the mornings, when you wake up, you lay in your crib and talk and talk. We listen to you through the monitor. Tonight, you talked yourself to sleep (it took an hour! No fussing, just chatting).
• You’re coming right along with signing. You recognize the signs for milk, eat, more, all done, ball, kitty, and pacifier. It really won’t be long now! I sign to you all of the time.
• You still love to swing. We walk to parks a lot and you spend the whole time swinging!

• We’ve been doing swim class for a couple of months. You love the water.
• This month, we went on several adventures: We went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with Grammy, Papa, Uncle Josh, and Auntie Lea. We went to the Huntington Library with Mrs. Larkin and Gabriela Zoe. We went to the beach to play in the sand with Mr. and Mrs. Cohen and their little guy Micah. We went to the Ronald Reagan Museum and Library with the Cohen family.
• This month, you were also on TV. A local station did a special feature on a new children’s book store in Santa Monica called Books and Cookies. We had a 5:00am call time! We hung out in the store for a couple of hours as if the store was “open” for the day. The camera (and news reporter) loved you!

Check out the clips: 5am and 7am.

You are such a delight! Your smile lights up our home! We love you so much MB.

Love,

Mama & Daddy

Nine Months

Dearest MB,

Today you are 9 months. This marks the point where you have now been out of me as long as you were inside of me (you came 10 days “late” but let’s not get technical!). Oh, baby girl, we love you more and more each day. Daddy and I often wonder how on earth we got such a great baby. You are so happy all of the time. You are joy and grace personified.

Here are your latest stats:

You are 16 pounds and 15 ounces.

You are 27 inches long.

You have taken to eating solids. You love bananas, avocado, oatmeal, and rice cereal. You like carrots, peas, and yams. You do not like mashed potatoes. You eat solids twice a day, but lately it seems you just can’t get enough! I’m planning to increase your feedings to 3 times a day.

You are so easy-going. You love going for walks in the stroller (even when we go out 3 times in a single day!). You do great in your carseat (you look around more and nap less). You are quite flexible no matter how hectic our schedule gets.

You are sitting up all of the time. You love to sit in the middle of the floor and pull all of the toys out of your toy basket. You can entertain yourself for long stretches of time doing this…thank you.

You’re just not interested in crawling. You roll from place to place if you have too. I place toys in various places in your room. You roll toward them, but then get bored and lay on your back talking to yourself.

You talk ALL THE TIME. Yes, you must be my daughter! You babble and babble in your stroller, when you wake up in your crib, when you’re playing with your toys. It’s so sweet!

You are such a sweetie. You smile at everyone when we’re out and about. People think you are so cute!

You are now able to wave!

You recognize the signs for kitty, ball, milk, and eat. You want so much to touch Dakota. She’s really the only thing you’ll roll quickly towards. But as soon as you reach her and touch her, she gets up and walks away. )-: It doesn’t seem to bother you; you just keep jabbering away. *kiss*

Your first tooth finally cut through today! I can feel it when I stick my finger in your mouth. You and I were up for 2 hours last night. Today you’ve been super drooly and your nose has been runny. So far, you haven’t been fussy.

You are doing better letting other people hold you. You’re still not great in the nursery, but we are making progress.

You love to swing! We go to parks several times a week. We can walk to 4 different ones.

You are adorable, MB! We thank God for your precious life everyday.

Love,
Mama & Daddy

UPDATE
It’s been a very busy week, so we’re posting this a few days late. However, you have been doing so many new things this week:

Your first tooth came in (as mentioned above).

You wave to most everyone!

You’re mostly army-crawling (if you want to).

You’ve added yogurt, apples, and apricots to your food repertoire.

You now point at things! You did it five times today at a bridal store. You pointed to a tiny red dot on the ground!

Oh, and you are starting to play peek-a-boo!

Eight Months

Dear MB,

Good grief!  Where has the time gone?  I’ve been writing letters to you theses last several months but they seem to get stuck on my phone and it take me forever to actually post them.  Sorry about that.  Today, I am going to get caught up!

Last month when we weighed you, we found that you LOST weight.  We took you to the doctor, she suggested formula.  Daddy and I did not want that so I saw a lactation consultant.  It turned out my milk supply was low (you were only getting 2 ounces of milk in a feeding).  She suggested pumping and supplementing your feedings with the pumped milk.  I also started taking an herbal supplement that increased my milk supply and started feeding you every two and a half hours.  It was crazy for a couple of weeks.  I was pumping at 11:00 at night and getting up at 4:30 each morning to do the same (I was NOT happy to get such little sleep when my baby is sleeping through the night these days!).  Feeding you every 2.5 hours was challenging because you simply weren’t hungry and were distracted by anything and everything.  But, we made it through and have found a rhythm that works for us.  I now feed you every 3-4 hours during the day and give you a supplemental bottle of pumped milk (3 to 4 ounces) before bed. You have finally taken to solid foods and love eating rice cereal everyday!  I’m trying to incorporate some veggies into your diet as well.  You have definitely gained weight, MB!  And you continue to grow in many other ways as well:

• You weigh 16 pounds, 1 ounce!
• You eat a couple of ounces of rice cereal every morning following your morning nap.  This week, I snuck in yams.  You didn’t like them at first so I had to mask the taste with lots of cereal.  By Friday, though, you ate a whole ounce of yams, no cereal needed!

• You roll all of the time.  If you see something you want, you roll and scooch to get to it.  Here is a little video I took the other day.

Video to come.

• You say “mamamamama.”  I like to think you’re saying my name!
• You nod your head a lot.  It’s super cute!  The other day at Starbucks, the lady in line behind us started talking to you.  She said, “You’re such a beautiful girl.  Aren’t you?”  Right on cue, you nodded your head!  She was very impressed!
• I like to think you know the sign for milk (in fact, I really thought you signed it to me the other day…wishful thinking?).  You get so excited when I sign it to you.  However, we are quite certain you know the sign for “kitty.”  When we say “Dakota” and show you the sign for kitty, you quickly scan the room looking for her.  When you find her, you smile and get very excited.

• Still no teeth (which allows nursing to still be a wonderful experience!).
• We walk every single day and visit the park several times a week.  You know, I thought I’d have a lot more downtime as a stay-at-home-mommy, but we truly keep ourselves so busy!  The weeks go by even faster than they did when I was working!  You do so well in your stroller and the Ergo carrier.  You’re so easy-going.
• You are such a fabulous sleeper (I want to document this because I know it may not last forever!).  I lay you in our bed for your naps (8:30 and 12:30 each day) and you go right to sleep with little to no fussing. This week, we let you “cry-it-out” when we put you to bed at night.  I used to rock you to sleep, but you don’t fall asleep in my arms anymore (you’d rather touch my face, play with your pacifier, look around, etc.).  So…Sunday night was really hard!  You cried for 40 minutes before finally falling a sleep.  On Wednesday you cried 30 minutes.  All the other nights, you cried for just a few minutes.  Last night, you didn’t cry at all!  AMAZING!!  We play some baby Mozart music on the ipod for you to fall asleep to.
• You now sleep on your tummy.  I put you to bed on your back but you roll over to your tummy.  We no longer wrap your arms in the swaddle blanket.  We still swaddle your body and legs, though, so you’ll stay warm.

• You are still not a fan of the nursery.  It’s a hard decision for me.  I want you to adjust to being a part from us during the service at church, and I know you will eventually.  Daddy and I volunteer in Kids Church once a month.  Perhaps that will be a good way to transition you…
• You learned how to use a bottle this month.  You took to it rather quickly, even insisting on holding the bottle yourself.  You suck on the nipple so hard it often gets smooshed.  But, you have figured out how to pull it out of your mouth, let it go back to normal, and then resume sucking.  You’re so smart!

You are an absolute delight, MB!  We love you so much!!

Love,

Mama & Daddy

A Family Day

Dear MB,

Today was such a fun day!  This morning we went to a “parent(s) and me” swim class.  You look SO cute in your little bathing suit!

We bought a swim cap and goggles from the instructor (to protect your ears from ear infections and your eyes from chlorine).  Good grief, girl…you looked even cuter in them!  You liked the water a lot.  We splashed with you, you played with a ball, and the whole class did the Hokey Pokey.  It was fun.  I’m glad both Daddy and I can be in the water with you.

After your afternoon nap, we went to the Pump Station in Santa Monica for a weight check.  You have gained 14 ounces in the last two and a half weeks!  That’s wonderful news!  You are eating more these days.  I’m glad it’s paying off.  We enjoyed some celebratory drinks at Starbucks and took a stroll through the neighborhood.  Then, we stopped at Douglas Park to push you on the swings.  You LOVE swinging!

This evening, we drove along the coast to Manhattan Beach.  We had a yummy dinner at Panchos Mexican Restaurant and then we went for another walk along The Strand.  It was cold, so we snuggled you up in your stroller but you insisted on keeping your hands free.  We stopped at the pier for a family picture.

When we got home, Daddy gave you a bath, I fed you, and then we placed you in your crib.  Although you weren’t asleep when I put you in your bed, you did not cry and fell quickly asleep.  You’re such a dream!

MB, I hope you enjoy spending time with us as much as we enjoy spending time with you.  It’s a joy to see the world through your eyes!

Love,

Mama & Daddy

Seven Months–Update

Well, MB… We weighed you today. You have gained 2.6 ounces in the last week! It’s a start! The lactation consultant says that at your age, you should gain 3-4 ounces a week. I’d say we’re pretty close.

You’re such a happy girl. You’ve never shown any signs that you don’t get enough to eat. You don’t complain. You’ve never been sick (yet). Daddy and I think it’s because you’re just so darn observant. You want to know what’s going on all of the time and you don’t want to miss a thing. I think you nurse just long enough to take the hunger away but not long enough to get all the calories you need. Silly girl!

We are going to see Dr. Shapiro later this week. Do you think you could gain a few more ounces for us…? Just to be safe.

Love,
Mama

Seven Months

Dear MB,

You are now 7 whole months.

I’m a little late writing your monthly update this time around. This past week has been a bit of a whirlwind, and I’m finally able to write about it.

Each month we weigh you. If we don’t have a doctor’s appointment, I take you to the Pump Station in Santa Monica to weigh you. This past Thursday, cousin Emily came with us. I put you on the scale and it read 14 pounds, 15 ounces. That’s a 12 ounce weight loss from your 6 month check-up (we weighed you on a different scale, but the numbers shouldn’t be that different!). You’re such a happy baby, you rarely fuss, and you are an excellent sleeper! We never would have guessed that anything was/is wrong! To keep a long story short, we took you to the pediatrician, I met with a lactation consultant, and now we are doing everything we can to get you to gain weight. I’m taking an herbal supplement and pumping 3 times a day. I give you the pumped milk (only a few ounces) in addition to your regular nursing sessions. It was quite funny to watch you with a bottle for the first time. You thought it was a toy! You have since gotten used to it, though. We’re hoping you show improvement quickly so we don’t have to supplement with formula. My full time job right now is to feed you.

Here are some other updates:

• You are not a fan of solids. I have tried bananas, carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, and avocado. You push the food out with your tongue. I’m trying not to worry much about that too. I know you’ll eat when you’re ready.
• You roll all around. You can hold yourself up with your arms, but no scooting or army crawling yet.
• You like to swing! Here is a video Emily took at the park the other day.

• You babble ALL of the time. It’s so cute! I love the sound of your voice.
• Still no teeth.
• You’re still a great sleeper. Thank you very much! You nap on our bed and sleep at night in your crib. Usually I can just lay you down and you put yourself to sleep.
• I’m/we’re still signing to you. Whenever I get a chance I show you signs for things.  I have a great app on my phone we use when we’re out on walks!

• We love to make you giggle–by turning you upside down, tickling your neck, playing peek-a-boo, and lots of other ways.
• You are not a fan of the nursery at church (or being left by mommy and daddy in general). We haven’t been able to leave you for a whole service yet. You usually come with me to WBS on Tuesday evenings. I wish I knew how to make it better but I think it’s just going to take time and consistency.

I can’t believe how happy-go-lucky you are, baby girl! You are a true joy.

Love,
Mama & Daddy