Five Months!



Loving your jolly jumper!

 Dear Claire Bear,
I can't believe you're 5 months old already! As I write this we are both in a turkey stupor, me from the giant turkey dinner I ate to celebrate Nans (my mom) birthday. You are just stupefied by association. For her birthday we made Nan a scrapbook page with your pictures and a hand and footprint. Only one of each because I had a hard enough time keeping you from getting the inky appendages in your mouth without doing both hands and feet. We all agreed that your hand and foot prints look much larger than your actual hands and feet.

So once again I fail at keeping an up to date blog for you. It's just that you are growing and learning things so quickly. I'm afraid if I turn away for one minute you'll be dressing all in black whilst spewing teenage angst all over the place. I'd rather take spit up, poop and drool being spewed everywhere right now. Speaking of drool. You're still the champion drooler (but no teeth yet!). In fact you've recently learned to blow raspberries and it is now you're most favorite thing to do - except, perhaps, for sucking on your toes. You can project drool an impressive distance!

 Here are some other noteworthy things :

• You can now roll both ways which is great but also terrifying because next comes crawling and then walking and then teenage angst! 
• You have found your toes! You love them and find they make the best teething toys. I'll bet that'll change the first time you try chewing on them when you have actual teeth.
• Naps still suck (at least according to you, I would personally love more naps).
• You are even more in love with the dog Bella. Just seeing her walk around makes you light up. If she's playing with her toys you will give big belly laughs. 
• You've also started reaching for Bella which, lets be honest, grosses me out. I have never been the kind of person to let the pets sleep on the bed or get on the couch (or lick my face blegh!) but I've gotten so much pickier. I must sweep the house at least twice a day and I'm still finding random dog fur on your playmat and your toys. Yuck! I guess I should just try and tell myself I'm helping you build a strong immune system. I try to convince Bella not to let you grab at her but she's too much of an attention whore to listen to me. She'll regret it when you start pulling her fur out.
• You have started eating solid food...and by solid I mean mush. so far you've had butternut squash, beans, peas, carrots, banana, avocado, and rice cereal. You are mad for all of it. You make growling grunting noises trying to get at the food. It is a messy affair but so much fun to watch you.
• Your nan (my mom) bought you a stuffed doll that laughs and giggles when you push her belly. You love it! You try and give it big sloppy kisses and you chew on her face. Very cute. 
• You have developed a phobia of birds. It started when we brought you to the pet store and the parrot scared the beejesus out of you. It has progressed to budgies, crows and blue-jays. I hope it doesn't include ducks because we have a play date set up with your cousin tomorrow to go feed the ducks at the botanical gardens. 
• You throw mini tantrums. Drama queen. Please go ahead and get these out of your system before you hit the terrible twos (which are only around the corner, with this time warp thing we seem to have going on). 
• You're about 15 pounds. I say about because you were throwing an above mentioned tantrum the last time the doctor was weighing you on those scale things. I think they need to re-invent the scales. There should be a nice comfy sling thing you can put a baby into and attach it to a hook weight (like one of those fish scale things).

Well that's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure I'm leaving things out but I'll try and keep better track for the next post.

I can hear you waking up from your 'nap' - if 24 minutes can even be called a nap, so that's the end of this letter.

Love you,
Mom

Bad Mom, No Sleep

Dear Claire Bear,
You're momma isn't being very good at keeping up to date on your letters! You're almost five months old now and I don't know where time is going. It seems like you just got here but at the same time I can't imagine life without you.

So I'm blaming the lack of posts on your sudden and severe sleep regression. I congratulate you! You had us all fooled. We thought we were those lucky parents who had a baby that slept through the night (mostly) for about a month and then it all went to hell. You  have decided that 3am is an acceptable time to begin the day. I creep over to your crib thinking I'll just be able to pop your soother back in and you'll fall blissfully asleep but when I peek over the edge of your crib you're all smiles and so excited to see me you are practically vibrating. It usually takes about an hour to get you back to sleep and then you are up again every
half hour (or hour if you're feeling generous) playing the sleepy time equivalent of "are we there yet". Finally 6am rolls around and your daddy and I try and bribe each other to get up with you. Usually I win because Daddy has to get up at 6:30am to get ready for work anyway. And thus begins the day.

Other than the shitty sleep, life with you is pretty good. You're a generally happy baby and you're getting more and more interactive. In fact you're a bit of a diva. If no one is paying attention to you when you decide it's time you have no problem making yourself heard. You have favorite toys now (currently your butterfly crazy thing, the gourd rattle, and you crinkly book). You still like to be in your swing but you're getting to big for your bouncer. You have a thousand different smiles and everyone is totally smitten with you. My favorite is the one you pull out when you're meeting new people. It's the big grin followed by hiding in moms shoulder and peeking out at the new person. Guaranteed to melt hearts and elicit compliments and 'awwww's of delight.

I mustn't forget to mention that you rolled over! I missed it. Sort of.  We were at your nans house playing on the floor. I looked away for one second (the beautiful man from the new movie Thor came on tv...couldn't help myself) and when I looked back down at you, you were on your tummy with a very surprised look on your face. At first I thought it was a fluke but then you did it again the next day and again today. Guess this means your on the road to mobility! Must make note to self: begin baby proofing.

Here are some bullet points of other notable things since the last letter.

• You now sleep on your side with your hands tucked under your chin. This is exactly how I sleep.
• You are no longer swaddled. It was a contest of wills but I won (with the help of wine, for me not you)
• You are laughing real belly laughs more and more. Peek-a-boo is almost guaranteed to make you laugh
• You still don't nap. Your four month 1+ hour nap was a freak occurrence and it seems like I spend all my time trying to get a repeat from you.

That's all my sleep deprived mind can come up with at the moment. Now I'm going to enjoy a nice bath while you're asleep for the night. By writing that I've probably jinxed it and you'll be up any minute.
Love you (even though you're a little sleep monster),
Mom

Four Months

Dear Claire Bear,
 

You are now four months old (as of 2 days ago). I am stunned by how quickly time is flying by. Happy Four Months baby girl. You are growing by leaps and bounds - you seem to grow out of sleepers within a week or two max. Your personality is starting to really develop. You are a girl who knows what you want and you don't hesitate to tell us when we're not meeting your demands! You're also so generous with your grins and there is nothing I love better than getting sleepy baby grins as I rock you before bed.

As a gift to me on your four month birthday you took a nap in the morning that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes! In your bassinet! That is the longest nap you've ever taken. Of course it remains to be seen if it's a trend or if you were just feeling magnanimous.

Things you like at 4 months:

 

• Silly faces - still almost guaranteed to make you smile
• The jolly jumper
• Bananas!
• Your excersaucer
• Being naked
• Playing peek-a-boo
• Waking up every three hours during the night (damn you sleep regression!)
• Watching your puppers play
• Hearing yourself talk

Things you hate at four months:
 

• Not being the center of attention for more than 30 seconds
• Being in a stationary car seat (damn red lights and Tim Horton's drive through)
• Strangers
• Strong smells - you have cried when dad lit the bbq, when the dog made a mess in the house (eeew!), when we walked into the body shop etc etc. You are a sensitive child.
• People getting in your face too soon after you wake up, even if it's people you normally like
• Getting weighed
• Hats

Things you haven't made up your mind about yet:

• Baths - you used to like them but recently it's a toss up as to whether you'll laugh or scream
• The stroller
• Your hands - you like them when they are shoving toys into your mouth but you hate them when they poke you in the eye.
• Socks

Love,

Mom

Healthy Lungs on That One Luh

Dear Claire Bear,

I was going to write a post about the public health nurses (because by now you should know that I love to complain about annoying people) but I got sidetracked with crying. Specifically your crying. More specifically how everyone is amazed at the sheer volume of your crying. So I'll tell you all about the public health nurses at a later date.

I took you to the breastfeeding clinic on Friday to get you weighed and there were a couple of babies less than a week old there. They were so tiny! Some were smaller at a week or two old than you were when you were born! So anyway these babies were crying a bit as they were being undressed and weighed. Not screaming or anything just little kitten cries. More like what I assume mewling sounds like. It was kind of cute and didn't seem stressful to me at all (I'm sure they're mothers wouldn't really agree). When I started getting you undressed you decided you weren't in the mood to be naked so you screamed! None of those little cries for you! No sir. You were going to show them all exactly how strong your lungs were.

One of the nurses made a comment like "I bet you miss the days when she (meaning you) sounded like that" (meaning the tiny baby cries). I tried to think back, and even though your early days are a bit fogged in my memory (sleep deprivation and all), I'm pretty sure you have never once sounded like that.  You have never mewled. You have always screamed. Even when they first passed you to me, all wrinkly and covered in cheese, you screamed. Granted you have reached a higher decibel level as you've grown but you were never quiet to begin with. It's always been screaming. You scrunch up you're face and let 'er rip. Sometimes you keep your eyes open just enough to give us the 'look'. The one that makes us feel like we're torturing you and encourages us to do anything humanly possible to fix whatever it was that started you off to begin with.
We've pretty much got your cries figured out. The 'hungry' cry, the 'tired' cry, the 'no one is paying attention to me' cry. The 'pain cry' (absolute worst), the 'I hate the bath cry', the 'frightened' cry and the 'plain old fussy' cry.

With all this talk about crying you might think you are a fussy baby. You aren't. You're actually a pretty even tempered baby. Only a few crying fits a day. I guess since they're so few you really want to make them count! You usually start to cry with no warning and reach the decibel level of a jumbo jet immediately. There is no conversation when you are crying because it hurts our throats to try and out-volume you. However, you're just as quick to stop crying and give us a big watery grin too. Sometimes you can't decide if you want to laugh  or cry and the faces you make are hysterical. When you are smiling and laughing it's almost impossible not to join you. You've just started to laugh this week and I spend a lot of time trying to coax another laugh out of you. Next step. Belly laughs! I can't wait!

Love you little squid,
Mommy

Friday Night Leftovers

• You are now 13 pounds 6 ounces
• We're still trying to figure out the nap thing. I can usually get you to take a short nap in the morning for a half hour or so but after that it's hit or miss. We'll keep working on it. 
• You are on night three of going to sleep without being swaddled. Thank you for not putting up too much of a fuss! It only took four tries to get you down the first night (I'm actually fairly impressed). The next night too less and we'll see what tonight brings. 
• Your bedtime keeps getting earlier and earlier. I thought 7:00pm was early but the past couple of days you've wanted to go to sleep around 6:30pm. If I try and keep you up you get too contrary to deal with so I've been giving in. Unfortunately that also means morning starts at 5:00am. 
• You are getting too big for your bassinet. It is rated up to 18 pounds but you are a ridiculously long baby and you keep squirming yourself up to the top. I'm not sure if we're going to put you in your own room or take your crib apart (again) and move it into our room.  
• You laughed this week! A proper laugh that didn't sound like some kind of bird sound. I didn't think you could get any cuter but you keep proving me wrong.
• 4 month needles next week. Not looking forward to it. AT ALL.
• You've started noticing Bella (the dog) lately and you get a kick out of watching her be an ass. She has a habit of barking at a lot of things outside. You know, things like people walking down the road, snow falling, clouds, you get the point. If she keeps it up she might not be around by the time you are old enough to read this so enjoy it now. Just kidding. Mostly.
• The physiotherapist has been worried that you didn't have full motion turning your head to the left because you wouldn't do it while we were in her office. Since we got home all you do is look to the left. All the time. Just goes to show that the physiotherapist toys are not up to your standards.
• We've spent a lot of time with your cousin John this week. He's 22 months and loves to give you kisses. Whenever you cry he brings over your soother and says 'happy'. Smart kid.
• I can't believe you're going to be four months old soon. Stop growing so fast!

For more leftovers check out here!

Friday Night Leftovers

Dear Claire Bear,

• You are teething. I am scared.
• You are drooling rivers. I can't believe you get enough milk to manage to produce that much drool. Can babies get dehydrated from drooling?
• We had your second physiotherapy session for your flat head. It went well and they're not concerned so (as I've said many times before) you can continue to sleep through the night without fear!
• This week your dad found two separate noises that scare the crap out of you. One is a sucking/slurping noise that kind of freaks me out so I can totally relate. However the other 'scary noise' is a seal noise. That arr arr noise. You hate it. Your bottom lip immediately pouts down, your eyes well up with tears and then you scream. Loudly. I've forbidden your father from making it again. He thinks if he kept doing it you'd get used to it. I think you'd need eventual therapy and I don't have enough RRSPs saved up to pay  for that when you're 20. 
• I'm not sure if it's coincidence or not but you seem frightened of my mom (Nan N). You've cried the last two times you've seen her.
• You are a tall skinny baby. You've only gained 3 ounces this week and the nurses are 'concerned' so I'm taking fenugreek to see if I can increase my milk supply and I've been adding an extra feeding in the morning (oh 4am how I missed you) to see if that's it. I think you just take after us as we were both tall skinny babies until around 4 months when we got to be tall fat babies. 
• You had a 20 minute long conversation with your rubber duckie this morning.
• You are big enough to go in your jolly jumper and your excersaucer now. You love both for about 15 minute intervals. We have to put a stacksof books under your feet so you have something to push off of when you're in the excersaucer. 
• Naps are losing. You are winning. A lot. 
• It snowed today. It's April! Not fair. I can't wait for the weather to be good so I don't have to bundle you up to take you outside.

Want more leftovers? Check out here!

Hospital Advice

Dear Claire Bear,

First a nap update. Mom fails.
Day One: 1 hour of soothing followed by 45 minutes unswaddled. No afternoon nap.
Day Two: 45 minutes of soothing followed by mom giving up and swaddling you then 1 hour-ish nap. Cat naps on mom for rest of day
Day Three: Out and about so nap training on hold.
Day Four: 15 minutes of soothing followed by 15 minute nap (unswaddled) and then an hour of trying to get you back to sleep. Give up and cat nap on mom for rest of naps.

I think you're winning.

Now, some annoying things I was told in the hospital by so called professionals:

1. Time your babies feeds, track your babies diapers, jot down when your baby sleeps. This is one of those things they tell you in the hospital just to see how quickly  it will make you go insane. A new mom brings home this beautiful little baby/monster and is expected to constantly keep an eye on the clock and a pen and paper near to record every aspect of every bodily fluid that your baby ingests or expels. Unless your child is jaundiced or has another medical reason to do this, it is useless. You had no schedule and you thrived on pretending to have a schedule then suddenly jumping ship just when we thought we had it figured out. Also you tended to sleep in 10-15 minute increments or do the fake out where you fall asleep 12 times before you would actually stay asleep. Oh and the pretending to be sleepy and then turning into a grinning little manic monkey was another favorite trick of yours (I didn't mind this trick so much as you were just too adorable!).  I have a paper lying around somewhere from one of the first days of momhood stating that you went to sleep at 10:00am 10:07, 10:13 and 10:22. Also I would invariably forget to write down a feeding or diaper change and panic upon reading that the baby hadn't eaten in 7 hours. Next time (assuming one day you will have a baby brother or sister) I will save myself the hassle. When baby cries check diaper. If diaper is clean then feed. Generally one of those will work but sometimes baby will just cry. Accept that the 'bounce and pat' or a variety of that maneuver will be a major part of your day from now on.

2. Not to let the baby spend too long in the swing or bouncy chair. I say a happy mommy is a healthy mommy and that baby needs both a happy mommy and a healthy mommy to strive. There were times when nothing would stop you crying other than putting you in the swing and playing that horrible monotone lullaby...so I did. You were happy, I was happy. As I said in a previous post, your flat head is totally fixable (not that the swing gave you a flat head, you did that by refusing to turn your head to one side or the other while you sleep...you are a wonderfully stubborn child)

3. Use a pacifier. The 'experts' seem to think this will cause nipple confusion. You already had nipple confusion whereby you thought my nipples were actually chew toys so introducing the soother did nothing other than give me a break. Also you are a baby who doesn't need to have the soother re-inserted every 10 minutes after you go to bed (except during naps, grr!) which is so wonderful for mommy. Keep that up! It will count as bonus points toward the promised car in your future. Maybe I'll spring for some fuzzy dice in the window!

4. Introducing the bottle too early. Another case of possible nipple confusion. I've heard this could happen but you had no trouble. I don't think you really care where the milk comes from as long as it's available upon demand in sufficient quantities. And it also helped Dad so he didn't have to miss out on those special 2:00am feedings that everyone tells us to enjoy because 'they grow up so fast'.

5. Sleep when the baby sleeps. In theory this is great advice. It just didn't work for me. At all. I love my sleep but there is nothing worse than lying down with a peacefully sleeping baby, getting just to the point of a nice deep sleep and then having your heart jump into your throat when the baby screams bloody murder out of the blue (as you were wont to do). You were (and still are) a power cat napper. The baby books say that babies are supposed to sleep something like 14 hours out of every 24. You do this, however you do all your daytime sleeping in 20 minute or less increments. If I am exhausted and lie down for a 15 minute nap I wake up like a zombie.

6. Buy intellectually stimulating toys. Okay yes in theory (again) this is a good idea. Every parent wants to give their child toys that will help with your development. Great. However, spending money on these things is usually a waste unless they have another purpose (I would not be without your bouncy chair or exersaucer for anything). So far your favorite toys are, in order: a) bag of unopened chips. You love the crinkly sound and the color b) a couple of black and white pictures of dots and shapes that I painted you c) the dollar store rubber ducky you daddy bought you. You have no interest in those baby genius things or the toys that play classical music. You are a reggae and salsa girl. I predict you will like travelling when you are older :D

7. Get baby on a schedule. NOT A CHANCE. At least not until you were pretty much three months old. Then you just adopted a schedule and left it up to your dad and I to figure it out.

Sleep tight baby girl,
Mom