FIVE MONTHS!

I can't believe my little baby is five moths old!  How did that happen?!  Just the other day, I was dressing her on the bed and tickling her belly and for one instant, she looked SO GROWN UP.  Not like an elementary kid, but like a big baby.  She totally lost her tiny baby look to me.  Now, this may not make sense to anyone, but she seriously looked like she would just roll over, climb off the bed and toddle away.  Phew, thank goodness that's not happening.. BUT, she sure looks older to me these days.  

So a little recap of her last month:

Charlie Ann is ALL about her play mat.  I've started propping her belly down in the boppy so she can be eye level with the toys..  Or sitting her in the boppy so she reach more of the hanging animals.  It's fun.  She likes it.

Charlie Ann had her second round of shots with the best pediatrician ever!  So at 19 weeks, she was 25 inches long and an ounce shy of 12 pounds.  She went from 3% in weight to the 10%!  Our doctor was pleased (phew) and she gave us GREAT tips on improving nursing.  

Also in the fourth month, she got her first cold!  Miserable.  I was a little disappointed because I had heard if you exclusively breast feed, your child probably won't get sick 'til much older.  Whelp, didn't work in our case.  So here is my little sicko.  

Her cold lasted one whole week.  During that time, Jarod flew to New York for four days.  I was so stressed out to be with a sick child for the first time and take care of Taiga... BUT, the Lord took care of me!  My sweet friend, Lani, invited me to come to San Diego for those four days with her to stay at her in-laws place while her husband was out of town at the same time.  PERFECT!  Those four days were the best days since coming back to Cali after Christmas.  God knew I needed that r & r and He made a way.  This is a picture of Lani's daughter, Nan (2 yrs), "reading" to Charlie Ann.  (Oh, and Lani owns Margot, which is Taiga's best friend--both dogs had a great time playing in the in-laws backyard-- thank goodness for a leash-free weekend!!!)

In San Diego, Charlie Ann rolled over for the FIRST TIME!  A photo right after the momentous occasion:

This month I started a Beth Moore Bible Study on the fruit of the Spirit.  It is a big commitment, but so worthwhile.  Here she is in her stroller while I am is going over the homework with the other girls.  You are a cutie if I must say so.

Here are some sweet and silly photos of Charlie Ann on the bed the morning my mom was arriving from Missouri.  We were so excited for her to come and looking for her already.

It was SO GREAT having Grandma here for two whole weeks!  We did lots of walks and playtime.  A few highlights with Grandma here was a trip to Idyllwild for the day.  So fun hiking and shopping and relaxing at the coffee shop.  

Another fabulous part of Grandma's time here was our trip to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks (see previous post).  No picture, but as we were hiking out of the Sequoia, I got Charlie Ann to laugh!  That was definitely momentous.  As thrilled as we were about the views and the big trees, Charlie Ann was just as excited about the fruit she got to play with at the hotel's breakfast.  

We also went shopping at IKEA.   She loved it, look at that face!

The last fun thing we did with Grandma in town was to take the Surfliner Train (Amtrak) to San Diego.  Charlie Ann did great and was (for the most part) an agreeable little traveler! 

In San Diego, she heard your first mariachi band and were so intrigued.  It was SUPER CUTE.  

Charlie Ann napped with Grandma in Old Towne, San Diego during a little rainy spell while I got a Chai.  Again, I say, kind of a cutie.

In other news, you still pretty much wear the same things you have been wearing the last five months (0-3 mon onesies, 6 mon pants, 9 mon sleepers).  Haha.  You are long, but just so so skinny.  You are definitely in a size 2 diaper, although a few of the brands are still a little "tall" on you.  Your demeanor is happy; you smile and every now and then, grace us with a little chuckle.  I am noticing how social you are.  You are beginning to prefer Mom and Dad to napping.  Nap time is becoming more difficult, so get ready, sleep training is fast approaching!  This has been a fun month.  You are a sweet girl and you make Mom and Dad proud.   

Sweet Gift

I received a gift last nite. It's not my birthday. It's not my anniversary. No milestone to be celebrated. It was a just because gift. And I LOVE it. But the best part was the endearing note attached, "Brooke- Being a mommy is hard. The only way to get through it is with lots of presents." So funny, yet so true! Thank you Stephani for thinking of me!

Yosemite & Sequoia National Parks

I can't spend enough time in this place.  I literally spend the hours there just soaking it all in... and I am always left wanting.  I guess thats why this is our 3rd trip to the Valley.  And this trip, we introduced two new people to Yosemite National Park- my Mom and Charlie Ann.  My mom was brought to tears coming through tunnel on the southern entrance and Charlie Ann, well she came to tears multiple times throughout the trip.

Family Photo - The Valley Overlook

Three Generations of Girls

Jarod introducing Charlie Ann to the Captain.

So she was a little pouty...

Mom relaxing in the meadow.

Coming down from hiking up to Bridal Veil Falls..  She likes the water.

Then we visited the GIANT FOREST in Sequoia National Park.

Family Photo

So we look a little tired.  Haha.

Biggest Tree. Ever.

FOUR MONTHS OLD!

A week ago, our little Missy Moo turned 4 months old.  Yippee!  I tell ya what, each day, and subsequently each month, just gets better and better.  A few highlights from her completed third month -

This month Charlie Ann decided one evening that her new bedtime is 7pm.  It literally changed overnight.  Once she falls asleep around that 7pm time, she is lights out.  While this is exciting, it is also somewhat of an inconvenience.  She is still only sleeping about 6-7 hours straight without waking up... so if one does the math... that puts her waking up at 1am/2am.  AND, then she starts her eating-every-three-hour routine..  meaning we are up again 4am/5am.  Ahem, Little Missy, this is no fun for mom to get up twice a night.  I attempted to do that "dream feeding" around 10pm to hopefully squeeze out an extra 3 hours of interrupted sleep.. no bueno.  So now I don't even bother waking her up at 10pm.

Also this month, you have discovered that hands, especially your own hands, are super tasty.   They are CONSTANTLY in your mouth.  And apparently your hands are even tastier if they are coated in slobbery drool.  Mmmm, yummy.

One cute thing you do now is to reach for things.  So now toys have entered the picture.  You are all about those soft books.  You like to hold them and, surprise, put them into your mouth.  They get washed regularly.  Yum, again.  You also are really into board books, especially the black and white ones for babies.  Pretty cute stuff.

Also, another thing that happened this month is that you started losing your hair!  Sad day!!  We like to call it the "reverse friar"...  since it is a pretty sweet ring all the way around :)

4 month clothes sizes are difficult.  You are so long and skinny!!  With certain things that have footies - you definitely need the 6mon (or 9mon!) size.  But with things like onesies, you can still easily wear 0-3mon.  However, some of your long sleeve onesies are getting a tad short on your arms.  One of the good things about being a long and skinny girl, is that those cute little pants can now be cute little capris!

You still wear the size 1 diaper very well.. and those Pamper Swaddlers were made for you, they fit perfectly.

As far as height, I think you have gotten even longer.. I am guessing that you are 26 or 27 inches long by now and as for your weight, I hope that you are at least 13 pounds.  But we will see!  You go in for a check up next week!

At 16 weeks you braved the Great Outdoors for your first camping trip!  You are a GREAT little camper.

Another momentous event... you are enjoying your car seat!  You can fall asleep in it quite regularly (the only other place outside of mom's [and dad's] arms).

You really love your daddy, even if you give him a bit of a hard time when falling asleep for a nap.

You are definitely still a BIG FAN of the paci (or your "sucky thing", as Dad calls it)

And this photo is actually a week after you turned 4 Months.  Looks are deceiving though, you aren't as chubby as you appear.  Darn.

With feeding, you enjoy the "easiness"of a bottle, but are now a bit on the lazy side when it comes to the "work" of nursing.  But we are working through it.  Also, you don't have a set routine for the day.  But it doesn't bother me since I stay at home most days of the week.  We do follow the same rhythm of sleep, eat, play, all day long, and that cycle repeats itself about four times.  But I like being flexible, and I like following your cues if you are tired or hungry or just want Mom.  It definitely works for us.

You are a sweet Baby Girl and we love you.

Family Camp Out!

We did it!  First camping trip with Charlie Ann - a success!

However, I will admit that I was having some serious regrets/doubts that first night... I was up every 30 minutes afraid she was either freezing to death (the low was 30 that night) or suffocating in the sleeping bag.  Needless to say, this mama did not get a whole lotta rest [and of course Charlie Ann was sleeping great..]  But by the time the second night came, I had a new plan and it worked great.  She just woke up once to nurse around 4am.  Perfect! (That second plan involved sleeping her in that giant pink puffy snow suit instead--she had warm cheeks all night)

There's a lot of photos... it was a well documented trip - ha.

Stuff for Nursing Moms

*****If you are not a nursing mom, this is going to be WAY boring and probably WAY to much information.  You're warned!  Read at your own risk!*****

Oh, nursing.  I really thought I crossed that bridge a while back... I mean, I finally stopped cringing, stamping my feet and holding my breath the first 30 seconds after she latched on.  I was no longer blistered and I wasn't bleeding or cracking.  I could take a shower and actually enjoy it.  I had conquered the awkwardness of nursing pads, nursing tanks and nursing bras.   I could nurse evasively in public.   I thought I was in the clear of everything about nursing.  

Wrong.  About 3 1/2 months into things, I started to think I was not making enough milk.  Boo.  Because I am committed- downright, wholeheartedly, two feet in -committed to exclusively breastfeeding until Little Miss is 6 months old.  (And I'd still like to make it to her first birthday).  So this is quite the point of frustration for me.  I have been back at work for 3 weeks now.  And I am pumping away, trying to make extra to feed her, and yet still keep her belly full daily.  This is a challenge.  I have added in extra "feedings" (also known as pumping) after she goes to bed at nite.. or I get up at some ridiculous hour in the early a.m., to stagger into the kitchen and "swish-suck-swish-suck-swish-suck" for 15 minutes.  And it's sad.  I get a few drops.  Okay, I get more than that, but I really only do get a few ounces.  Quite discouraging.   Because it takes me at least two pumpings to make enough milk for one bottle feeding.  I'm no math whiz, but that clearly isn't good.  

Thankfully, I have lots of support.  Lots of moms have offered their tips and hints.  And it's been SO GREAT.  

Unfortunately, I have a kicker.  Here it is.  Charlie Ann is now not seeming full after a regular nursing session with me.  She gets mad and frustrated and cries and arches her back and wants more.  Well, kiddo, I'm all out.  This is no bueno.  So I have been using some of my stock pile in the freezer for an additional "dessert" for CA.  Sometimes she just wants an extra ounce and two.  And sometimes, like yesterday, she gulped down 5 more ounces.  What?!  So now, I am really nervous about not making enough milk.  I dont know if you can "over feed" on breastmilk or not.. but my little munchie is quite on the small side..  (she just hit 12 pounds and she's 3 1/2 mon old) so I'm not really thinking she's being a little porker, I do think she is genuinely hungry.  I'm hoping its a growth spurt.

Meanwhile, to help (at least ease my conscience) I made these tonight: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/major-milk-makin-lactation-cookies.html 

and read this article - http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/lactation-cookies-recipe-increasing.html I started taking fenugreek capsules about a month ago.  Unfortunately they made me incredibly dizzy and lightheaded.  So those are out.  I have however, picked up this tincture: http://www.motherlove.com/product/530-More-Milk-Plus.html. I just started it yesterday, so the verdict is still out on it's effectiveness.  I do know that a nursing mom needs extra "good" calories (and let me tell you, it's hard not to want to count and cut every one, post-pregnancy) so I made a "fortified" banana bread the other day [packed with bananas, whole wheat flour, flax, yogurt, walnuts, etc.] and cut them into portion sizes and froze them.  Now, I can just take out on, set it on the counter and then I have a great breakfast with zero effort.  

On that note, it's time for a "feeding".  Swish-suck-swish-suck.