Rolling Over!!

Milo rolled over today…ON HER OWN!

She’s been working on this for several weeks now, but today it finally happened! Of course, she decided to roll over for the first time while I was out of the room, and for the second time when I was out of the room. It’s like she kept waiting for me to leave before she did her thing. I did finally catch her, though, and I got a little video!

After her initial rolling over party, she got fussed every time she was laying on her back. It’s so funny to watch her roll over; she struggles so much, grunts and groans, hurls herself to one side, and then after several tries, THUNK, she lands on her stomach. After that, she doesn’t quite know what to do with herself. She doesn’t like to be on her tummy for very long, and she doesn’t know how to roll from tummy to back, so she’s kind of stuck there. I predict that in the coming days/weeks, we’re going to be doing a lot of practice with rolling both ways.

Side note: the other day at the baby sleep class, the instructor told us that bigger babies will take longer to roll over because of their size. So while most babies will roll over at right about 4 months, bigger babies will be about 2-3 weeks late. Milo sure showed her!!

Another side note: now that Milo can roll over (and she did it over and over this afternoon, with less and less difficulty), we basically can’t swaddle her anymore because she may roll over in the crib and could suffocate (since she can’t get back to her back from her tummy). So, tonight we put her down with one arm out of the swaddle. I think it may be a very long night.

In other news, I finally got my CA driver’s license this morning! It took just about one hour, and miraculously, the lovely personnel at the DMV didn’t find a reason to send me home today. So, now I can drive here. Not that I want to, but sometimes it’ll be useful, I suppose.

Notes:

• I do think Milo is going through a growth spurt. Today is day two of lots of sleep during the day. Also, last night she slept very well, only woke up at 3am for her (usual) feed.

• My girl is finally going to fit into some of her dresses! I hope the weather in North Carolina and Texas is suitable for her to wear them.

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Three

This girl is FOUR months old today!!!

(I promise she’s not stuck in the couch; she’s just laying on her left arm.)

Milk & Sleep

Milo slept a lot today, sort of. She started off with a quick 35-min nap this morning, then lots of play time, then another quick 25-minute nap around lunch time while I was out and about. She got really fussed about 90 minutes after she woke up from that nap, so she went down for another nap and this time slept for a little less than 2 hours. After that, she was still fussed, and she took another 35-min nap at around 6pm. Tonight, she didn’t have much trouble getting to sleep at her bedtime. Maybe she’s going through a growth spurt?

Also, I think that my milk supply might be low. I’ve been trying to pump so that we can give Milo a bottle more often, and I’m only getting a few piddly drops out each time. So, I’m going to try to pump after each feed to see if that helps at all. I also may buy a new breast pump; the one we’ve got was free from Kaiser, but it really hurts my nipples.

Other than the naps, Milo and I had a pretty laid-back day. We made a trip to Target, then later a trip to the library and the post office. She loved looking around, as usual, and didn’t seem to mind the cold weather. I also got a lot of good exercise with all of the walks, so bonus!

Notes:

• I’ve been thinking about buying Zutano Cozie Baby Booties for Milo, but haven’t been able to convince myself yet. I’m also toying with the idea of buying more clothes (on Craigslist, probably) to prepare for the coming months; Milo’s wardrobe consists of lots of 6-month clothes, but nothing much bigger than that. And she’s wearing 6-month clothes now, so we’ll need more soon.

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Two

Sleep Solutions

We woke up to a rainy morning! It was pretty great, actually, since we’ve been in a drought for so long. The rain came down steadily this morning, and it cleared up by the time we needed to leave the house.

Chase, Milo, and I went to a Baby Sleep Solutions class today. We wanted to learn about getting Milo to sleep through the night and what to do when she wakes up and wants to play at 3am (which she did again last night, but she put herself back to sleep quickly since we didn’t intervene). It was nice to be around so many other babies and parents; this time, most of the babies were around the same age, so it was interesting to hear the sleep problems others are having. Honestly, Chase and I felt pretty lucky compared to some of the other parents. Milo goes to sleep pretty easily at night, and she doesn’t really wake up much. Some of the other parents talked about having to be up with their babies for hours during the night or rocking/bouncing them for up to an hour to put them to sleep. I’m glad that we started a bedtime routine and that Milo has gotten used to it.

So, regarding sleep routines, we’re doing everything right except for putting Milo down when she’s still awake. We haven’t attempted that much, and we probably won’t until after the holidays.

After the class was over, we had some burritos at La Taqueria, and then we made our way to the grocery store and home. I went for a run (finally), Chase caught up with people on the phone, and then we worked on cleaning the apartment. Our holiday vacation begins on Friday, and we don’t like to leave a messy house, especially when we’ve got someone coming by to check on Sophie. The apartment looks and feels a lot better tonight, even though we aren’t finished cleaning.

Notes:

• Tonight Chase and I finished decorating the handprint ornaments while Milo sat in her bumbo chair nearby and watched. I think we’re going to enact an ornament-making tradition with Milo. It was fun family time.

• Milo is very observant. She often quiets down when someone is talking and just watches. Today she watched quietly as Chase opened a box and unpacked its contents. Our girl is curious!

• For perhaps the first time, Milo wasn’t the absolute cutest baby in the room during our class. There were so many other cute babies! She had steep competition, but she definitely held her own.

• For the second day in a row, a stranger commented on Milo’s eyebrows and asked who she takes after (Chase).

• Tonight, Milo has needed a lot of help staying asleep after initially putting her down. I’m really hoping that the 4-month sleep regression passes swiftly, though I don’t think it’s really even started yet.

Day One Hundred and Twenty-One

Night Time Play Time

Last night was weird. For the first time, Milo woke up at around 3am and decided to stay awake. I fed her, got her to sleep by around 3:15, and then Chase estimates that 30 minutes later she was awake again, and she didn’t go back to sleep until about 6am. When she awoke, Chase, ever the considerate husband, decided to take care of her so that I could sleep. I was somewhat awake, but I didn’t realize that he was trying to get her back to sleep for so long! I finally got up at around 5am and tried to help out. We decided to let her be awake in her crib in the dark without us until she got fussed. Then we went in and finally got her to sleep. It was weird and frustrating, and I hope she does not do that again tonight.

Today, Chase, Milo, and I went to an Infant Massage class at Natural Resources. We learned a lot of new techniques to connect with our girl and provide relaxation. Milo was a bit fussed during class because she needed a nap, but I was able to get her to sleep while Chase learned all the techniques I missed. As a group, we all sang a couple of songs, and it was amazing how Milo reacted to them! All of the babies quieted right down when the group sang and started fussing (if they had been fussing) when the singing stopped.

Chase did a few of the leg massages tonight during our bedtime routine, and we sang one of the new songs together. Milo didn’t fall asleep immediately like she usually does, but she fell asleep without too much trouble, anyway. We’ll see how tonight goes.

I should also mention our Sophie saga for the day. Sophie peed on Milo’s carseat and some of her gdiapers that were on the ground. I can’t express quite how pissed I was about this. Chase and I had a few discussions about whether Sophie did this on purpose and whether she has bad feelings toward Milo or whether it was just coincidence that she chose Milo’s things to pee on. At the end of the night, though, it was all moot because we discovered the reason that she’d peed outside of the litter box: last time Chase changed the litter (a few days ago), he accidentally put the box in backward so that the opening was against the wall. Sophie couldn’t access her litter box.

I still think Sophie is having some trouble with Milo being in the apartment (and even though it makes sense that she’d have to pee outside of the litter box since she couldn’t access it, it’s no coincidence that she chose Milo’s things to pee on), but at least we know that there’s nothing medically wrong with her. And hopefully she’ll stop peeing on Milo’s stuff.

Notes:

• I learned that vigorous raspberries on Milo’s tummy will make her laugh nearly every time.

• Milo’s diaper rash is clearing up nicely, thanks to the 40% zinc ointment. We’ve also learned just how easy it is to transfer diaper cream to every part of your hands/arms when diapering.

Day One Hundred and Twenty

Charmer

It’s official: my daughter is a charmer. We visited ILSC again today, and she charmed the heck out of everyone there! Anyone who came up to her and said hello was greeted with the biggest smile and even a few laughs! She happily sat with Jeannie for a while as we talked in the break room, and she stared and stared out the window and at the other teachers. Amazing.

This morning was something of a disappointment, though. In my second attempt at getting my CA driver’s license, I was again turned away from the DMV. The first time was last month, when I took my sleeping baby with me and was turned away because “children are not allowed in the testing area.” Ridiculous. Today, I waited in line for 30 minutes while Chase (who took the morning off to watch Milo) walked around with our girl, only to be turned away because I didn’t have my passport or birth certificate. I wouldn’t have been quite so angry if the lady who turned me away had at least been somewhat nice, but she wasn’t. She was curt and obviously displeased with her job. Anyway, I then called their 800-number (and waited on hold for 20 minutes) to reschedule for next week. We’ll see if the third time is the charm!

This evening went pretty well. We had leftovers for dinner, Milo let us eat in peace, and then she went to sleep without too much fuss at around 8:30. Then Chase and I cleaned the kitchen and made some cookies. We’ve joked that one day when Milo is a kid, she’s going to wake up at around 11pm and discover that her parents eat dessert every night after she goes to bed, and she’s going to be pissed! That’ll be a fun night.

Notes:

• Milo is just about to roll over on her own. She still can’t quite get over that arm, but she tries every day.

• When I feed Milo these days, she’s begin flailing about with her arms. It’s like she’s reaching for something, and that something is anything her hand can land on. Usually my face. She waves her arm around and then squeezes or scratches or holds onto whatever it finds. I often let her hold my hand, but sometimes I let her feel my face or neck. It can be painful, but it can also be very sweet.

Nodding off

Just after a feeding tonight, I took Milo from Misty and held her. She was facing away from me, my hand flat atop her chest, my chin resting gently on her head. I was watching the TV or Christmas lights or something, and what she would usually do is stare for a while and be perfectly still, and then lose interest and writhe and slouch more and more until she was flat on my lap.

Not so tonight. I felt her head sliding slowly down and away from my chin, and I felt her tiny chin come to rest on my index finger. Loose and unswaddled, she was so tired that she was nodding off in my lap! And just like a real adult trying to take notes in class, her head eventually dipped so far that it jolted her awake… for a moment, before it slowly began to droop again.

Day One Hundred and Nineteen

Diaper Rash

I have been concerned about a diaper rash that’s developed this week. I’ve been using A&D and Aquaphor, and neither of these seem to be helping. So, since we have Kaiser and they encourage emailing your doctor with questions, I did just that. Milo’s pediatrician emailed back pretty quickly with suggestions for how to get the rash to heal more quickly: stop using baby wipes, let the area dry well each time she’s changed, use hydrocortisone (1%) 1-2 times each day, buy diaper ointment that’s 40% zinc (A&D is only 13%), and change diaper brand. We’re now doing most of this, so hopefully we’ll see results soon.

Other than the rash, Milo and I went out for a few hours running some small errands this morning. We went to shop at Target. As usual, I picked up about a thousand things, walked around the store, and slowly put them all back. I ended up buying some items from the $1 area and a gift for a pregnant coworker from ILSC.

After Target, we needed to shop at Lucky for tonight’s dinner. Chase wants pork chops, so we got everything we needed. On the way home I definitely felt like a pack horse: baby on the front, diaper bag on my back, one grocery bag on each arm. Positive: I got some exercise?

Dinner was great tonight, as well. Milo is now pretty much refusing to sit in her vibrating chair. I don’t usually strap her in, and at this point she squirms her way nearly all the way out of it. So, I cooked while Chase and Milo had some bonding time.

Notes:

• After Milo went to sleep, we used this recipe to make some ornaments. Tonight Chase and I tested it out with fingerprint hearts, and tomorrow morning we’re going to see if we can get Milo to make some hand and/or footprints.

• Milo has resumed her fascination with her feet. She regularly grabs her knees these days, and today she spent some time looking at her feet as she lifted them into the air.

• Milo’s sleep is going normally. She has been waking up once each night, somewhere around 3-4am, and she goes right back to sleep until around 7am. This weekend we have a sleep solutions class, so maybe we’ll learn something new there.

Day One Hundred and Eighteen

Party Time

Not much going on today. I planned to go out to Target and do all sorts of errands. But Milo decided to be gracious by napping for 2 hours in the morning, and I decided to nap with her! It was amazing. She even let me eat lunch before getting fussed. Score.

After that, I worked on Christmas cards and Milo and I generally played and talked until it was time to go out. Tonight was Chase’s company Christmas gathering, so we headed out to that at around 4:15. Milo was the belle of the ball for sure! Chase and I were the only ones who brought our baby, so everyone was head over heels for her. Our girl handled it all like a champ, of course. She adored the attention from everyone, and although she freaked out a bit when we entered the restaurant (it was a club-type atmosphere with loud music and lots of darkness and bright lights), she calmed down easily and even napped for a while amid the chaos.

It felt nice to be out in the evening, as well. Chase and I never stay out past 8pm anymore because that’s when we begin Milo’s nighttime routine. Tonight, we stayed out until 9! We got our girl into bed by 9:30. She was exhausted; all of that attention wore her out!

Notes:

• Milo trails off when she sneezes. I love it when she does this. She’ll sneeze and then continue with her achoo for a few seconds, like Jean Claude Van Damme when he karate chopped someone in his movies!

• Milo has started rubbing her eyes when she’s tired. I’m not sure exactly when this started, but it’s definitely within the past week or two. Another cue to let us know when she’s sleepy!

• The other day when Chase and I were running errands, I was in the back seat eating and I noticed that Milo was staring at me as I ate. She was even fussy when we got the food, but then she stopped fussing to watch me eat. They say that when she does this regularly, it’s time to give her food.

Day One Hundred and Seventeen

Day Out

Another busy day today. First, I should mention that Milo seems to have regressed in her sleep patterns. She woke up twice last night. Each time, she went right back to sleep after I fed her. But she’s not sleeping through the night anymore. I’ll always remember those few glorious nights, though. I must say, too, that it was so easy for me to become spoiled. Now I don’t want to get up to feed her when she cries. I’ve become the grump again when I’m woken up. I’m sure it won’t last long. And Chase is really great about getting her and bringing her to me when I’m slow to rise.

Again this morning, Chase got Milo and occupied her while I got a few extra winks. It’s always so nice when he does that. After he was on his way to work, Milo and I set out for our class: Introducing Solids and Raising a Healthy Eater. It was in the Mission, so we had to take a bus and BART to get there. Milo has become a real pro at taking public transportation. She looked all around and fell asleep as I walked to the class.

It was so nice to be in a room full of parents and small babies. I got to see other babies at the same level of development as Milo; I got to see other parents struggling with their fussy babies during class; I got to see babies rolling over and sitting up on their own. It was refreshing. And the class was informative, as well. I got some info about what kinds of foods to introduce first, how to balance food and breastfeeding, and I heard lots of other parents’ concerns.

After class, Milo and I walked around Mission waiting for our bus, and then we headed to Costco to pick up our Christmas cards. In previous years, I’ve made our cards with drawings of me, Chase, and Sophie as various characters (mariachi, football players, pirates, etc.), but this year I decided to just have them made at Costco Photo Center. They turned out ok, so tonight and tomorrow will be spent addressing and stamping them so that they can go in the mail soon.

After Costco, it was a trip to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner and for making ornaments (!!!), and then we finally made it home. Milo was exhausted; she’d had only a couple of short naps while we were out. So I fed her and played with her, and then she napped for a while. Dinner was easy, so now the only thing left is to see how Milo fares tonight. She’s already woken up once since we laid her down. Hopefully that’s the last time until 7am.

Notes:

• Milo has her first real diaper rash. I bought some new ointment to treat it.

• I made Milo laugh today, and it sounded like a little kid’s laugh instead of a baby laugh. I tried to recreate it, but no dice.

Day One Hundred and Sixteen

Santa

This is going to be a busy week for us. We have a few classes to attend, Christmas cards to make, Santa photos to get, employee dinners to attend, and so on.

Today, we had a gathering at Michelle’s apartment to learn about Hand in Hand Parenting. It was really interesting, and it made me want to learn more about the organization. Also, it felt nice to sit with a group of mamas and talk about parenting. And it’s always good to see Michelle and Orna! Milo was great; she spent a good deal of time just staring at the speaker and soaking up all of the delicious gazes and language.

After Michelle’s, Chase and I took a bus to Union Square so that we could do a bit of shopping at Macy’s. We bought Milo a dress and got a gift, and then we headed over to Westfield Mall to get Milo’s picture taken with Santa. She looked adorable in her holiday dress!

Milo didn’t have great naps today because of all the running around, so she was really ready for bed tonight. She went to sleep easily at around 8:20 tonight. Last night she woke up twice, but Chase and I aren’t letting ourselves be too alarmed. She’s proven that she’s capable of sleeping through the night. Now, we just have to encourage that with routine.

Day One Hundred and Fifteen

Sizing Up

Today was a pretty laid back day compared to yesterday. We took Sophie to the vet for the first time in like a decade. The verdict: she has an ear infection and needs treatment for fleas and irritation on her skin. The whole ordeal took a bit over 2 hours. Milo was incredibly good during all of it. She just sat back and looked around. Toward the end, she was getting super tired because she’d been up for around 4 hours with no nap, which is kind of a marathon. She fell asleep easily just before we left and slept all the way home. Good nap.

The rest of the day is kind of a blur. Chase took care of Milo a lot of the day. She napped well. Tonight she even took a bottle; it took some doing, though. At first she just wanted to play with it, but she began drinking it when I gave it to her. So I quickly gave her back to Chase, and she finished the bottle with him. It’s so nice to see him feed her.

Last night Milo woke up at around 3:40am. We didn’t do a dream feed because I (mistakenly) thought she was going to be able to sleep through the night without it. So tonight we’ll definitely do the dream feed so that she hopefully sleeps through the night.

Notes:

• I’m thinking about investing more time (and money) in essential oils. I think the lavender is really helpful to Milo’s sleep, and I’d rather depend on oils than giving Milo a ton of medicines when she’s not feeling well. Also, Michelle and lots of other moms/midwives in her circle believe in the benefits of essential oils. I bought a book and am going to begin doing a bit more research so that I can feel good about using them. Then, I just may order a few more and try them out!

• Milo sized up on diapers today. Truthfully, she should have sized up a couple of weeks ago, but we still had a couple of packages of the smalls. So I should say that today Milo ran out of small diapers and moved up to mediums.

Too cute

I finally understand the feeling people are talking about when they say there’s nothing quite like a baby’s smile, or a baby’s laugh.

Today, every time I appeared in front of Milo to lift her out of her car seat, she made immediate eye contact, sprung open her mouth, and… well, it was like a nuclear-powered cute ray beaming straight at my face.

It happened in the carrier, too. We were in a store, and she was staring to the side at all the lights and colors and people, as she usually does. But then she leaned back as far as she could, stared straight up into my face, and squealed with delight every time I pursed my lips or arched my eyebrows or cooed.

Dumfounded, I kept turning to Misty all day to ask, “Are you seeing this? Is this real? How could she possibly be this cute? Do you realize how cute she is?” To which she replied with a look that said she had been aware of this for quite some time.

All I can say is I’m glad I’m in on it.

Day One Hundred and Fourteen

Sleep, Part 2

Last night was great. At first, it looked like Thursday night’s marathon sleep was going to be a fluke. We put Milo down last night at 8:30, and she needed a lot of help back to sleep until around 9:45pm. But then she stayed asleep! We decided to do a dream feed when we went to bed (which was around 1am because we’re silly), and we decided to try a bottle since I’d pumped recently and the milk was still warm and fresh. But the bottle only woke her up, which we didn’t want. She wouldn’t drink it, probably because I was the one who picked her up and tried to give her the bottle. So then I gave her the breast, she fell back to sleep, and she didn’t wake again until 7am. Glorious! I think tonight Chase and I will go to bed at a reasonable hour to capitalize on all of this sleep Milo’s been giving away.

The majority of the daytime hours were spent out and about. Chase and I decided to get some errands done:

• buy a Christmas tree and lights from Home Depot
• buy chocolate chips from Costco
• return an item to Bed, Bath, & Beyond; shop for a white elephant gift; shop for other Christmas gifts for those on our list
• buy cereal at Trader Joe’s
• stop by Rainbow Grocery for a few miscellaneous items

Milo was pretty good in the car. She took a couple of micro-naps while we were walking around, and didn’t cry much while in the carseat, which I consider a major win.

Bedtime was great tonight (so far). We began bedtime routine at a little after 8pm, which included a bath, diaper change, lavender oil foot massage, lullabies, white noise, swaddling, and feeding. In the bedroom, we’ve got some diffused lavender oil, a humidifier, a heater, and continuous white noise. She hasn’t made a peep since we put her down, and it’s now been one hour. Fingers crossed that she continues to sleep through the night without needing much help from us.

Notes:

• So far, Milo is good at restaurants. Servers have remarked on how good she is, actually. This morning, we went to the Pork Store Cafe on Haight, and she just sat in Chase’s lap quietly while we ate. She likes to look at everything, so that’s just what she did: looked in the mirror by our table, looked around at all the people, etc. It’s nice right now because she hasn’t started trying to grab everything and, thus, doesn’t throw everything on the ground yet. We’re enjoying eating out occasionally with our girl.

• Milo spent some time looking at her feet this evening while Chase and I made dinner.

• This can’t be verified just yet, but I think Milo might be left handed. She reaches for things more often with her left hand, so it’s at least dominant for the moment.

Day One Hundred and Thirteen

Glorious Sleep

Last night was amazing. Chase and I think it might be a fluke because of the vaccinations, but only time will tell. Milo went to sleep (in her crib!!) at around 8:30, woke up and soothed herself several times, and basically slept the whole night through until around 4am when I decided to feed her. She went back to sleep without too much trouble and slept until around 7:30 this morning, waking and self-soothing a few more times. She even played alone in her crib for a few minutes before I grabbed her!!

Of course, I was a nervous wreck last night, but Chase was good to me and checked on her a few times to soothe my worries. And I did get quite a bit of sleep. Also as per usual, Chase and I were dummies about the whole thing and went to bed just before midnight. However, given that Milo slept so well, we had plenty of time to rest.

Notes about today:

• Milo took an epic nap this morning, a little more than 2 hours. She woke up just as I was getting concerned that she was sleeping too much.

• Because of vaccinations yesterday, Milo had a fever twice today. I gave her a bit of infant’s Tylenol and it got rid of the temperature. Thank goodness.

• I think Milo recognizes my nipple now. Earlier, she was laying in my lap and I was getting ready to feed her. When my nipple became exposed, she started trying to sit up and was grabbing at me. I was wondering when this was going to happen.

• It’s about 8:30 now. Milo has just gone to sleep. Fingers crossed for another miracle night like last night.