Tummy Time

Spending time on her tummy is not her favorite, but it's doctor's orders :) She needs to strengthen her neck and arm muscles and we want to avoid the back of her head becoming flat.  Now wouldn't that be awful?   I had to snap some photos of this oh-too-cute afternoon ritual.

Assisted:

No More Help:

She Hates This:

A Look From Above:

2 Month Well Check

I had intentions of sharing Shelby's "stats" with you, but I have decided that they are totally inaccurate, rending them well, arbitrary. For example, let's start with her weight...

Last Thursday: 12 lbs, 12 oz
    - I thought she'd be closer to 13 pounds, but ok

Last Friday: 11 lbs, 7 oz
   - WHAT? She lost more than a pound in a day? She needs to be in the ER....
   - Medical assistant re-checks

New Weight on Friday: 13 lbs, 3 oz
  - Ok, so now she gained nearly half a pound in a day???

Today's Weight: 12 lbs, 13 oz
  - So she either lost nearly half a pound, or gained just an oz????

What the heck? Honestly, it is a joke. It's unfortunate these measurements are so crazy, especially with newborns who often drop a bunch of weight. Knowing what I now know, I am curious if Shelby really lost all that weight in the first 3 days. As far as her length goes, they told me she's 23.5 inches.....which is also crazy because she is at least 25. I mean, the kid has outgrown her 6 month sleepers! All that said, I really like my Doctor. She seems sharp and sympathetic - plus, she remembers Shelby, which was huge for me.

With all that, Shelby checked out well. Her RSV is no longer in her lungs and is, for the most part, gone. She is no longer contagious and just has an occasional cough and some extra mucus/congestion in the morning. We lucked out. We're going to cut the breathing treatments to just once a day and moving forward, I will be a hand washing Nazi.  Once she gets fully better, we plan to have her sleep in her room/crib. To date she has been sleeping in the Pack and Play in our room  but 1) She has almost outgrown the infant sleeper 2) The longer we go, the more of a habit it will become and 3) Having the Pack and Play downstairs would be really helpful.

The doctor went ahead and gave Shelby several immunizations. I was hesitant, but my Doctor said that she appears recovered from the the RSV and she would not at all suggest sending her off to child care without a couple of them. In fact, I might have to take her back in a couple of weeks if the Day Care requires the whole battery of them.

There is a silver lining in everything though. The Band-Aids they gave her after her shots matched her cheery little outfit for the day.

Love that little peanut!

Two Months

Today my pumpkin turns two months! My how time has flown. Today also happens to be Jack's mom's birthday, so she got a shout it too. She'll have her "well check" appointment on Friday, so I'll have her stats then:)

Pick a Number, Any Number

The next home improvement project on tap is adding some backsplash tile to our kitchen and master bathroom. We are planning now, but it will probably be a little while before we actually do the project; and by "we" that typically means Jack (especially now with baby on board). We have a couple of things to pay for first and if I have it my way, we'll paint our Master Bedroom first....it is the only room in our house that is not painted and it drives me crazy.

With the pending project, every house guest is pretty much forced to pick their favorite tile, one thru five. This is what our kitchen currently looks like. And don't worry, these are better secured to the wall so we don't have any fires like before! * Note the burnt sample, LOL!

This is currently the front runner:

We also have a line up for our bathroom, although I think we're still torn between two patterns here.

More to come on this project. My next task is buying paint samples. It only took me SEVENTEEN to find a color for Shelby's room; we'll see what this project holds!

Catching Flies

Despite Shelby being a little sick, this has been a really fun week to watch her grow. She has aquired quite a few new tricks and made a few new discoveries...

Her Tongue: It seems this week Shelby has discovered her tongue. She laps it out there like she is a frog catching flies. When I go to kiss her, she sticks her tongue out and it's so cute. Also, the nebulizer produces a moist vapor that goes directly to her mouth/nose. She is lapping it up the whole time and it cracks me up.

Her Arm: She has now discovered that her arm can move things. When she's nursing, she'll move things to where she wants them and is constantly trying to push around the nebulizer mask.

Whaaaaaa: She now has two distinct cries: I am hungry & I am tired. Then there is the "I'm in the car seat and hate it" cry, but that's a whole different level/story. When she is tired the cry is super whiny and normally ends with a "whaaaaaa" at he end. Also, this is the sad, pouty lower lip  cry. When she is hungry however, it's far more aggressive and powerful. I always heard moms telling the difference between cries, but now I get it!

The Coooo: This is the best one! When I catch her in a playful mood and can grab her attention, she will chat with me. If I am making coos and oooohs and ahhhs, she will too. It's the absolute best and new in the last few days.

**Sidenote too funny not to share: I told my mom Shelby's sleep schedule this morning. Having five kids she commented that she sleeps a lot "kind of like Seabuiscut." Now, I have never seen the movie fully, but I know it's about a champion racing horse, Seasbuiscut, who evidently slept a lot, but was really successful. I had to chuckle and from now on that will probably stick with me each time I put my sleepy bug down. Love you mom :)

Let Me See You Bumbo

During our visit to the Dr this week, she suggested we amp up the tummy and sitting time. It's not the best timing to get her on her tummy with the breathing issues, so I thought I would give her a few seconds in the Bumbo. I did not keep her in there much longer than the length of the video, but it was cute none the less. I think she needs a few weeks for her neck to get a little stronger before she can really use it. I love those little curled baby toes!

Sick Baby 101

I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but I didn't realize my baby was sick. I took her into the Dr yesterday becuase she had a small infalmation on one eye. It was swollen and  resembled a pimple, but with the weekend looming, I didn't want to take any chances. It turned out to be just that and today you can barely tell there was anything wrong with it. While at the doctor, I asked about the  classic "booger sucker bulb," as I don't feel my efforts with it yield the best results. The doctor asked if she has a lot of boogers. I informed her that I didn't really think so, but that I could hear that she was congested. From there she suggested we swab for RSV.....and it came back posative.

What? How? Oh no! I have had friends and family whose children caught RSV so I had  some knowledge of it, but mostly knew it has the potential to get serious. According to WebMD, RSV is: a common childhood illness that causes some of the same symptoms as cold and flu, such as fever, runny nose, and cough. For children less than 1 year old, RSV is the most common cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small air passages in the lungs. 
 From what I have read, almost all kids get it at some point by the time they are two. I have no idea where Shelby contracted it; it could have been from anywhere, but regardless, the point is moot.  Most kids have it for 8 - 15 days. I am uncertain when she came down with it, but I am thinking on Monday  being that's when I noted the change in her energy levels.

In addition to panic, I felt bad that I had no clue she was not sick. I had noticed that she was extra sleepy all week and had taken note of a few coughs here and there that seemed unusual, but other than that  - business as usual. She makes a variety of funny grunting/growning/snorting noises, but she has done that since birth. She has actually been more pleasant this week than ever before and continued to eat as usual.  I was also a tad overwhelmed when the Dr sent me packing with a nebulizer and three prescriptions. I personally don't love to take prescription drugs, so three scripts for a 8 week baby was a tad scary.

This picture illistrates what's taking place in Shelby's room at the moment:

Now that  things have sunk in, I've educated myself and she appears to be doing ok, I am far less panicked. I am still keeping a really watchful eye on her, keeping her at the house and will not bring her near other kids to insure they don't get sick, but today - she was all smiles (and kicks and wheezes).

I guess it's a posative thing that I didn't really know she was sick. I talked to the Dr today and she told me that "I would know if it got really bad - she would look and sound sick."  From here,  I have to get her breathing treatments a couple times a day and do all that I can to help her airways clear: keep her upright, keep a humidifier plugged in, nurse her in the steamy bathroom (thanks Allison!). I am optimistic she'll be ok, but the diagnosis was a little shocking and it definitely made me second guess my instincts.  I am very grateful though that I am still home and can go through this with her, rather than having to worry about her while she's at Day Care.

My Dark Cloud

I have this looming dark cloud over me and it's called Day Care. Ugggghhh. I am not really dreading returning to work, but I am dreading leaving my baby girl. I am certain every mom goes through this, but man, it's tough. Currently, I am the only one who can really sooth her and she's not really a fan of the bottle yet; in fact, she won't take one from me at all. I just picture her crying and not eating while I am gone....which is typically how things go down right now. Further, she doesn't like her car seat, so it's unlikely that she'll arrive each morning cheery. I could go on an on.

I know she is not the first baby to go to child care and I am grateful I have 12 weeks to be with her- more time than many moms get. My mom stayed home with us and honestly, I can't recall ever going to a babysitter (other than the occasional family member coming over), so I think there is a little guilt there too. On an upside, she inspires me to be the best I can be,  maximize my time and make things that I do meanningful. I went to the gym yesterday for about an hour and I don't think I had ever been so fucused on getting a solid workout in, doing my best, then returning back to my little love.

Everyone says it's harder on the mom than the baby, which I hope is the case. Anywho, that is my "poor me" story for the day, but it's about all I can think of. For now, I am just enjoying my time with her and if she wants to nap on my chest, I let her and soak up every single little tiny precious baby breath. I go back to work on July 23 - wish me luck.

Father's Day

Yesterday was a special day for the three of us - Jack's first Father's Day. In addition to that, we just had a lovely morning at home and evening with some friends. No work, no home repair/upgrade projects, just a nice day.

Shelby and I woke up Dad with a card and the gift from her....a personalized coffee tumbler. We have a collection of to-go coffee mugs  and one of them in the mix is a red and white reindeer mug and ironically - this is often the one Jack ends up with on the way to work. As you can imagne, he recieves a sizable amount of flack for that manly mug, so Shelby upgraded him. I got Jack some much needed sunglasses. Being that he is shadeless and we live in the sunniest place on Earth, they are a necessity. Not a very "dadish" gift, but they are well over due.

After some baby girl/daddy snuggles I made breakfast for the two of us. We just hung out around the house, did chores and had a riveting conversation about kitchen tile. I even made a quick escape to Albertson's. Believe it or not, the 30 minutes of "me time" is just enough to clear my head. Who ever thought the grocery store would be an escape, but anyway....

We both had nice chats with our respective fathers and reminded them how much we love and appreciate them.

At 3 we went to our friends for some BBQ and pool time. I have not braved the swimsuit yet, but Jack took a dip while I looked on from the deck. It is so nice to have friends with young kids, we're all so lucky!

All in all it was a nice relaxing Sunday. Shelby still hates the car seat, but I'm optimistic that will improve.  I tell ya - there are few things cuter than a baby girl and his her big Jumbo Daddy.

Shelby says: "Hip hip hooray for Daddy!"

 

Do Over

Oh my goodness, some days you just want to get back in bed and this is one of them. It's only 10 am and thus far...

I went to get my coffee before Shelby woke up - no creamer (or milk!). Not ideal, but I can deal with it. I ended up putting a little vanilla ice  cream in there. As they say "necessity is the mother of all invention."

Then I put some oatmeal in the microwave and started boiling a bottle on the stove. In the middle of that, I hear Shelby crying, so I go upstairs.

I get her out of bed and as I am changing her, she pees all over. I change her and the changing take and put her in the crib for a minute. Then, I start to smell fire. OMG and I run down stairs...

Jack had a package of tile back splash propped up against the wall (behind the stove) that fell on the burner and totally caught on fire - flames and all. After dealing with that and opening every window in the house I returned upstairs to my now screaming baby. Mind you, we have a sprinkler system that I was SO worried about going off. Sadly, today is supposed to be 104 so I can't exactly leave the windows open all day.

After I fed Shelby, I go to get my oatmeal and it has exploaded everywhere and was now an inedible gelatonous substance. Fail. So, I now try a Kashi packet of oatmeal and stupid me....the same thing happens again. OMG. From there, I turned to toast.

And for the grand finale - I go to change Shelby after her morning feeding and again, she pees all over herself and the changing table again.

All of this before 10 am. She is resting now and I am about to do the same in my smells-like-a-wildfire-house. At this rate I will need to wake up at about 4am to get out the door on time for work!

The Next Big Thing?

Jack is a problem solver, always trying to remedy things that just don't make sense around the house and at his job. His recent quandary is baby clothing (which cracks me up).

1. The Sleeper
Shelby is growing at an unprecedented pace. She is not even 7 weeks old and her feet touch the bottom of most 6 month sleepers, yes SIX months. She can't fully fill them out, but she definitely needs the length, but buying  a 9 month size for a baby that is not even 2 months is ridiculous and makes me a little sad. I digress...

So Jack wants to invent a sleeper that grows with the baby. Some sort of button or snapping mechanism that you can "let down" as the baby grows. Now, such an outfit would take away some of the fun of shopping, but would no doubt be practical. Perhaps there is something similar currently out there, but I thought it was pretty clever.

2. Over the Head
Due to a couple of really nasty (over flowing) diapers, he has taken note that most baby clothes have to go over the head and past the face to take off. When you have a super soiled baby this design is all but convenient. So, his next big beef is with everything having to come off this way. Why not sometime that snaps in front and comes off at the bottom?

Again, these outfits might be out there already, but I thought it was pretty cute that he spends his days pondering this sort of stuff. For now, we'll stick with conventional fashions and I'll continue to buy sleepers months and months ahead!

Moose's Graduation

My youngest brother Alex, affectionately known as Moose,  graduated with his Master's degree in Industrial Engineering this past weekend from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Needless to say, I couldn't be more proud. He has a job lined up and a month-long trip to Europe to look forward to! It was a neat weekend for my parents too, as all FIVE of their kids have now finished college - a testament to how sensational they are. There were SO many great photos from the weekend, but these are some of my favorites!

My entire family made the trip to the Central Coast to celebrate. It was wonderful to have everyone together. We flew because the thought of a 400 mile drive with an infant was horrifying. Despite almost missing our return flight, the friendly skies was a WAY better option than the car....especially since Shelby pretty much loathes the car seat.

My peanut had a special outfit to honor her uncle, although by the time came around to show it off - she was a little sleepy.

In any event, it was a wonderful weekend. My Dad generously rented a house so we could all stay together and have a central place to hang out and have some quality time together. Shelby even ventured to the beach for the first time!

As wonderful as it was to see everyone, it was pretty nice to be home with all my baby gear. Shelby was an amazing traveler and was so pooped one night that she slept NINE hours and EIGHT another!

Congrats Master Moose - On With the adventure!

Timing is Everything

Some of you are aware that Shelby has had some issues with her bowel movements....or lack there of. She was fine and on track with all the baby books for the first 4 weeks or so, but after that she had some issues. She had a six day stint without going, so I had to assist with a mild Dr recommended suppository (trauma for mom and baby, but worked like a charm). Once again she had a similar six day spell, so I helped her out. Through extensive reading I've found that this is fairly common for nursed babies, however six days is on the long side.

Well. This morning, little miss decided to take things into her own hands and WOW what a mess! We just returned from a weekend in California that involved car rides, airplane travels, photos, beach, graduation, BBQ and all I can say is I'm so glad she waited! I honestly don't know what I would have done should she have decided to take charge on the airplane or something.

Without going into nauseating detail, I had to CUT her out of her onsie because I found no plausible way to get her out of it without getting the mess on her. OMG.I will leave it at that, but all in all, I was so happy to see her go on her own. Never did I think such a topic was blog worthy in the past, but clearly - my mindset has evolved:)

Beyond the Double Chin

By most standards a "double chin" is the ultimate measure of chubbiness, but how about no chin?! Only when you're a baby is it so cute to be a girl so chubby that there is no differentiation between chin and cheek!

Behind the Scenes

By now most of you have seen at least some of Shelby's newborn photos. Adorable right? What does it take you ask to get a 6 day old baby to pose and look so peaceful? The answer: all kinds of tricks! By the look of the final products you'd think she snoozed through the whole thing, but that was in no way the case. Instead, she started the session by promptly peeing on the photographer, a standard practice the moment her diaper comes off. Once naked she started hollering so of course, I had to feed her and calm her back down. Still fussy, we tried a binky - no go, we don't use those at home. Think she slept through this whole pose? Wrong! My awesome photog just happened to capture this sweet peaceful moment. With some patience, we pulled off the first (and my favorite) shot.

The next pose required a few more crafty tactics. We attempted to get my peanut calmed down, in a basket - easier said than done when the baby was wide awake. The pose required the use of blow dryers, heaters, a binky and again - a lot of patience. Take a looks behind the scenes:

The net result for this pose and others turned out great. I was pretty stressed out by the end of it, but it wasn't about me after all. When I look at the photos, I can see that she has already grown up so much and is far more alert.

My favorite quote of the whole thing is actually something we heard while she was in utero too: "That is the biggest newborn foot I have ever seen!"

Enjoy!

Not Pregnant

I was definitely not one of those women who felt amazing, sexy or "better than ever" when pregnant. I just wasn't. I guess I had an "easy" pregnancy compared to some.....never sick, not excessively swollen and gained a reasonable amount of weight, but again - it was not my favorite 40 weeks. I was TIRED, TIRED, TIRED. I am used to being an upbeat, social, ambitious person, but I had never been so pooped. Most people say they're most tired with a newborn, but I was far more exhausted when pregnant. In any event, I now understand why ladies don't complain about being pregnant; the prize at the end is well worth it.

It's a given then that I am pretty happy to not be pregnant any more. Shelby is way better on the outside, as I often tell Jack. The inspiration for this post came as I was doing laundry, a task that is five times more difficult with a giant belly.

Things that are WAY better to do (even though they're not all that fabulous to begin with) while NOT pregnant:

1. Laundry
2. Mopping the Floor
3. Pushing the giant Costco Cart
4. Sleeping - I soooooooooo missed sleeping on my tummy
5. Putting on shoes
6. Getting back-popping hugs from hubby
7. Making the bed - tucking in the corners, not fun
8. Ummmm walking :)
9. Getting ready in the morning - how much body butter can one person go through?!
10. Picking up most anything from the floor, small or large

All that said, I hope one day (no time soon!) we'll be blessed again to go through another healthy pregnancy. In the mean time, I'll enjoy tying my shoes with ease.

Oh No!

Shelby has a new "trick." I find most of her milestones and new nuances adorable, however I hope this one passes quickly.

She has discovered her hands. Wonderful. She has learned that they grip things, can bat at things and even holds onto the neckline of my shirt as she nurses. Adorable.

What is not so adorable, however is that she grips her own hair and grips it tightly. The other day she was on her play yard and let our a whimper and I discovered that she was pulling her own hair. I broke her iron grip and to her, it was like it never happened.  This morning though, I put her in her crib just for a moment as I had intentions of starting some laundry and she let out the loudest blood-curdling scream. Of course, I have no clue what's going on and rush to her side. Turns out she had a total death grip on all those luscious locks. Poor baby. I instantly scooped her up to calm her down, but unlike the first time - she was pretty worked up.

Some things you just have to discover on your own, and I am thinking this is one of them. We'll see how quick of a learner she is.