Yolande

October 28 | Five months



Likes: That lady with the milk jugs, nursing while falling asleep, delicious hands/toys/anything, watching big bro be rowdy, drooling, pretending to be teething just to put mom's mind at ease about awful sleep, smiling a HUGE open-mouthed grin (silent laughs) all day long.

Dislikes: sleeping longer than two hours in a row, being overtired, being held by anyone other than mom when overtired.

(comparison time! My how time flies...)






Biggest Achievement of the Month: Tolerating a few true crib naps. Gotta start with small goals, people. 

Biggest Challenge of the Month: Sleep, or the lack thereof. What else is new?



Secret Tricks of Parenting: Well this is awesome--I honestly didn't realize until staring at this topic right now that baby girl doesn't really require any tricks anymore! I mean, sure---her sleep sucks but she is not having super fussy moments anymore. Praise.The.Lord.





The Mecca (aka Sleep): Eh, I don't even feel like complaining about it right now, but alright...twist my arm. ;) Cecelia still hates to sleep for long stretches at night. We had a great week thrown in the middle of October when she lasted until 1, 2, or even 4 am before waking and then she might go another few hours after that before demanding the boob. My new definition of a good night is if she sleeps past midnight without waking, by the way. So we had a few good nights this month. And then? Back to her old habits of waking around 9 or 10 for the first time then every two-ish hours after that. Sigh. Last night she woke at 11, 1, 4, and 5:30 before waking for the day at 6:45. That's actually not too horrible in our world, so I can't be all full of doom and gloom for this post.

Currently I'd say that bedtime itself isn't too awful if I can get her to stay asleep for the first 20 minutes of laying her down---if we get past that magical point, then we will probably sit pretty until around 11:00 before she wakes. But some nights she will just not.go.down without a fight. Meaning, she pops her eyes open as soon as she hears the freaking floor boards creaking when I leave. Or she wakes within 5 minutes of me sitting downstairs, assuming 'she's asleep!' I really dislike spending the majority of my evening hours going up and down the stairs, soothing baby girl back to sleep by popping the pacifier back into her mouth or rocking her. During these rough evenings I usually do not nurse her again just because I hang onto any shred of control that way:)

Naps are getting a little bit better because I'm getting her to nap in her crib for about an hour at a time, maybe 2-3 times per day. Yesterday she napped for 45 minutes in the morning, a TWO HOUR nap in the crib around lunch time, and another hour nap in the afternoon. She will also cat nap while nursing during the day if I'm home and will sleep in the Ergo or the BOB if I must be out and about with her. I am pretty proud of the fact that she can fall to sleep for a nap without nursing down, and without being rocked to sleep. I will usually give her the pacifier, rock her a bit to get her nice and comfy (and to get my fill of cuddles, since she buries her face into me while we rock), then before she falls asleep I'll lay her down. She might squeak and squawk a bit but usually not more than 5 minutes.



Temperament/Personality: CC is so happy and content 98% of the time now. It's awesome. Do you see those giant smiles in the 'five month' pictures? Just.so.happy. She will laugh if I'm tickling her now and also had her first real laugh that was unprovoked a few days ago. I was carrying her up the stairs and Truman was walking in front of us, when all of a sudden she busted out a belly laugh. I guess she found Truman's stair climbing hilarious, and why wouldn't she? Because anything her big brother does seems to give her the biggest open-mouthed smile. Blowing raspberries and trying to get us to do it in return is a favorite hobby right now. She's still super vocal, too, and will let you know if something is not right in Cecelia-land. But luckily for us all, it seems that this child is pretty darn happy despite the persistent sleep issues. She's the best snuggler and is super touchy-feeling, preferring to be held and will almost always grab onto your hand or your clothes. I love it so much. Hope her sweet cuddles don't go away any time soon.







Eating: Still nursing great! Basically have to pull her off each time we nurse to end a session because CC could nurse all day long if I let her. On a typical work day she will nurse at 7:30 before we leave, then she takes 10 oz in two bottles while at Lori's around 11:30 and 1:30. She will nurse right when we get home at 4:30 and then at 7:00 for bedtime, which makes about 5 feedings on the days I work (and probably about 4 more at night, so whatever). On my days at home with her, I'm guessing we bump it up to about 6-7 feedings during daytime hours.

We haven't introduced any solids yet--not even rice cereal or oatmeal. We gave Truman rice cereal on his five month birthday but I'm just not feeling it this time around. I kind of want to research baby led weaning a bit more and would prefer to skip rice cereal all together, maybe jumping to finger foods at 6 months. We'll see. I'm in no rush at all for 'real' food this time around.







The Superficial: The Hair is still my fave.


She is in 6 or 9 month clothes, but the sixers are getting too short in the legs. My tall girl;) And for disposable diapers, we are moving up to size 3's because the 2's are barely covering that precious booty anymore. In cloth, she has bumped up a row of snaps in the rise already which seems nuts to me. But hey, my baby IS almost half of a year old so this growth stuff is bound to happen. ;)

(winter coat in size 12 months, just a little too big right now;) )


Another superficial thing? Tons of constant drool graces her pretty face in every picture now. Had to bust out a few bibs this month but I generally dislike bibs and how they 'ruin' outfits:) So we deal with a lot of saliva up in here.







Motor Milestones: She rolled from her tummy to her back for the first time this month! I think it sort of surprised her and I'm sure my maniacal cheering and clapping didn't exactly soothe her, either:) But it's just so much fun to see babies hit milestones and I hope she keeps up the rolling. Perhaps it will be the key to sleeping longer at night? (notice how everything is potentially the magical 'key'?) She's SO close to rolling from back to tummy---that darn arm keeps getting in her way and she just keeps on trying to plow it over anyway.

And the girl can spin like a champ when she is laying on her back. If I put her on a blanket facing the windows she will almost always wiggle her booty around in a 180 degree turn to face the opposite direction. I think she accomplishes this simply by attempting to roll over and over again, making it to her side then falling back each time. Hilarious!



She can prop sit for a few seconds before her stomach is basically on top of her outstretched legs:) This month marked her first time in the kitchen sink for a bath, and then her first dual bath with big brother using a bumbo seat! Can't wait for her to sit unsupported to make baths easier, if nothing else.





Her hand-to-mouth coordination is amazing at this point, because she can finally grab the pacifier and purposefully pop it in and out of her mouth. I still remember this milestone with Truman---so sweet to see them control objects like this, and so weird to see her with a pacifier in her mouth when nobody put it in there for her. If you hold a toy in front of her she gets a really excited face and will bring both hands to the toy, grabbing it with gusto. I've gotten a couple of good old hair yanks from little miss myself and yep---her grip is pretty strong!





Out and About: Biggest event this month was her baptism on September 30! Already did a separate post about it, but I'd say that was a major outing for sure.

(two great-grandmas and one vain little girl, checking to see how cute she is on camera)


Favorite Baby Gear: 
 -Pulled out the Baby Einstein Exersaucer this month! Loving it.




-Sophie the Giraffe---because seriously? She HAS to be teething!





(double-fisting, loves this wooden rattle, too)


Little Sister and Big Brother:
 

Reading back over Truman's five month post leaves me with a few comparison thoughts. Both kids have been super alert at 5 months. Both love to put things in their mouths, especially Sophie. Both vocal, both happy, both crappy sleepers and into the half-rolls. Truman's eyes were already starting to change to his pretty hazel color but Cecelia's are still a bright blue right now---wonder if that means hers will stay? But the only thing that makes me sort of sad when I read his 5 month post is that Truman would totally let Nate soothe him back to sleep at night. He loved his mommy but he allowed Nate to help out a lot more than Cecelia will tolerate. And I hate that, because it makes me feel like Nate and CC can't bond like he did with Truman. Obviously, as a second child it's just different because we each take a child now, since it's 1:1 defense and no longer 2:1. Nate usually handles Truman and I usually handle Cecelia when we are all home---and I know all little babies need their mommies most of all. But I want to be a little bit better about switching it up and having Nate change C's diapers on the weekends, holding her just to bond, and spending more time just the two of them while Truman and I get a little one-on-one time, too. I mean, it's not the end of the world and I know that Cecelia does love Nate, too. But I just want him to be able to help a little more without her freaking out, because he's an amazing dad who is more than willing to offer some daddy-time to his little lady. He watched her for two hour long stretches on Saturday this weekend and it went great, so maybe we are turning the corner with the daddy-daughter bond:)

The kiddos
















And this video is too cute not to share. Truman's take on Simon and Garfunkel's song. 'Oh Cecelia--you're breaking my heart. You're shaking my calm and my baby.' I die.



We all love you so much, boo-tiful Cece. You are so happy and fun and sweet. Not a day goes by that I don't feel humbled and incredibly blessed to be your mommy. Yes, even when I'm exhausted because of your lack-of-sleep. Even then, I love you. :)

July 28 | Two months



Likes: mornings, mommy, napping, being outside, lights, picture frames on the wall, nursing, big brother Truman, busting out of a swaddle, Dave Matthews Band, our expensive nursery glider, ceiling fans

Dislikes: bottles, pacifiers, being in the car seat longer than 30 minutes, being tired, evenings, the coffee grinder, coming out of a bath, being in one location for longer than 30 minutes



Biggest achievement of the month: Smiling!! Enough of an achievement to make her mommy and daddy feel like all of the hard work we've put into this child is actually worth it. Maybe she even likes us a little bit!

Biggest challenge of the month: Refusing to take a bottle. Sigh.




Secret tricks of parenting: to calm this fussy baby, here are a few of our current secret tricks that will surely stop working before the next monthly update...

-swaddle + walking around the house
-loud music (preferably DMB) + rocking in the glider in a dark nursery
-walking outside + singing off key/discussing nature
-nursing

(another one versus two month shot. Note the changing hair do and how much taller she is than her bunny.)

Nicknames: C, CeCe, Cease, Cecil (as if she was her masculine counterpart-we find this one particularly hilarious), Sister, Sissy, pretty lady, baby girl

The Mecca (aka Sleep): Cecelia is sleeping pretty well at night but it's actually gotten a little worse as this month has progressed. Growth spurt? I hope so. I'm missing the days she could make it until 3 am without waking. She goes down for the night around 8:30 and will wake around 1:30, then again at 3:00 and 5:00 before the alarm goes off at 6:00. Of course, this varies GREATLY and sometimes she will wake up four or five times a night. I'm starting to get that new mom 'so-freaking-tired' look about me, for sure. Her longest stretch of sleep is still 5.5 hours and she still sleeps in our room all night. I just started putting her directly into her co-sleeper upstairs in our room at 8:30 instead of starting in her swing that is downstairs, which I think is a huge accomplishment. Now I don't have to carry her upstairs with me when I go to bed and if she can stay asleep in the stationary co-sleeper then I suppose she would stay asleep in her crib. She does love that swing, though.

Her naps are anywhere from 10 minutes up to 3.5 hours. She gets one really long nap in each day, usually in the mid-morning/afternoon, and does a lot of cat naps in the late afternoon and evening hours. In the morning she almost always stays awake for one hour at a time before needing an hour recovery nap.



Temperament/Personality: It's really easy to focus on Cecelia's intense crying and her strong opinions for this topic, but overall I have to say she is a very content and happy baby 90% of the time. She is super happy and smiling non-stop in the mornings and then after most of her naps, too. She really doesn't cry that much unless she has a reason and thankfully I can usually figure out what's bugging her and I'll attempt to fix it. I am absolutely LOVING her smiles these days, you guys. Can't wait for her to laugh, because I have a feeling it's going to melt my heart all over again.

Now. That 10% of the time when she is really ticked off? Horrible. I still claim she is a little more fussy than Truman ever was but you have to remember that I have horrible momnesia, so that might not be true. But in true estrogen-laden fashion, she has opinions that are not to be taken lightly. It's just crazy that she will go from happy and smiling and content to freaking the EFF out with over-tiredness in about 2 seconds. I think a lot of babies are like that, but I would label Cecelia's crying as pretty 'intense' at times. Thankfully it's not all that often that she flips the switch to 'freak out mode'.

I also like to use the word 'diva' but sometimes I think that is sort of unfair to her, because there are only a few things in life that will stir the wrath of Her Diva-ness. If she is over-tired and decides to fight sleep, it will usually cause an epic meltdown until I can convince her to rest those little eyes. This almost always happens in the evenings if we are pushing our luck and don't adhere to a calm, soothing environment around her bedtime. And then there are those bottles. Do I need to mention, yet again, that she will lose her mind over an artificial nipple? Besides being tired, hungry, and ticked about a fake boob, the other thing that might really force the water-works is being in her car seat when she has absolutely no desire to be strapped down in there. Poor babe. She really does get carted around so much more than her first-born brother ever did. I guess that is the plight of a second-born!



Eating: Sister still loves to nurse about every 2 hours during the day. If she takes a killer nap she will sleep past the 2 hour mark but then there are also times when she wants to eat every hour. She mostly takes one side for a feeding, which last about 15 minutes or longer. I can tell she is getting full because she will spit up more when she's had a lot to eat. And she is still drenching herself, and me, and the house with gigantic/scary spit ups about once or twice weekly. They still don't seem to bother her though and appear to be totally random.

The superficial: The Hair is still in place! In fact, it's getting a lot longer by the day and is pretty red. I did notice a few flakes the other day but am choosing to believe it's just a dry scalp and not actually cradle cap. She had baby acne for 10 days this month but now her skin is clear. She is wearing mostly all 0-3 month clothes but we are starting to mix in some 3-6 sizes, because she is getting too long for the 0-3's at this point. No wonder, because at her 2 month well baby appointment we found out her stats and she is a TALL girl! She is already 24 inches long which is 92nd percentile, and 12 pounds 1 ounce which is 76th percentile. And her head is very average at 50th percentile. :)

(the hair)


Motor milestones: CC is attempting to get her hands into her mouth and maybe she could actually become a thumb-sucker, easing her need for constant boob suckage. (Please, God!) She started smiling this month and loves to kick her legs and punch her arms. Still not a huge fan of tummy time but she's doing a good job controlling her head when held upright. She loves looking around the room and focuses on objects, able to track them as they move across her path. She's just so much more alert this month and I know she's doing her best to absorb this huge world around her.

(hands? get into my mouth!)


(tummy time!)


Social butterfly: Cecelia met her great-grandma (two visits!) and great-grandpa this month, her Uncle Jon from Oregon, had numerous play dates with friends (although she mostly had to tag along with her brother's buddies), had another visit from 'Go Go' and numerous visits with her local 'Pa Pa' and 'Ya Ya'. She also met a lot of Nate's coworkers during her spa day at his clinic.



Out and about: a few trips to the local pool, daily trips to the playground, lots of runs with mommy in either the single or double BOB, Target, grocery store (epic fail), the zoo, her dad's office



Favorite baby gear:

-Our borrowed 'My Little Lamb' swing from Andrea


-The Boppy for nursing and hanging out (she has to tolerate the boyish covers, since I never did buy new girlie ones for her)




 -Activity gym


-The double BOB




-Bum Genius diapers, specifically the One Size 4.0's with snaps (the beginning of cloth diapering happened this month and we still love it second time around)








Little sister and big brother:

I mean, are they twins or what? Aside from Cecelia's hair and Truman's fat head I can definitely see the resemblance.


It's so hard not to compare kids, so I'm just going to oblige myself in this category.

I am known to say that every baby has their 'thing' and right now refusing the bottle is Cecelia's. Truman's 'thing' was always sleep (not sleeping through the night until 9 months, then waking up at 5 am for many months). I'm hoping that sleep is not also Cecelia's thing, but instead we might be challenged with stronger opinions than her brother ever had. Truman has always been labeled 'easy' and super laid back but he doesn't have the best sleeping skills. Maybe his sister will be the exact opposite.

Also, Truman was always really big and tall. And well, so is Cecelia, apparently! I know that the boys and girls growth charts are very different because at 2 months Truman was 24.5 inches tall and that was 85th percentile for him but his little sister is 24 inches and that is 92nd percentile for girls. Then Truman was 13 pounds 7 ounces being in the 87th percentile, and Cecelia's 12 pounds 1 ounce puts her in the 76th percentile for girls. So although she doesn't weigh as much she is still on the bigger side for girls. Just a little bit more dainty then big man Tru. And apparently she is almost as tall as her big brother was at this age! I find this stuff fascinating, in case you can't tell.

Currently Truman still adores Cece and she seemingly loves him right back---always looking towards his voice and tolerating the constant train talk like a champion Thomas fan. I am just so proud of my Truman for being the sweetest, kindest big brother to Cecelia. I love imagining them growing up together and I really believe they will be best buddies.

Two months down. And the fun is just beginning!