I'm a slacker at the blogging...

So there's lots to catch up on....

We had Kate's 4 month doc appt and it went really well. She is 16lb 3oz and 25.25 in. That puts her in the 90th percentile for both. Big healthy girl! She had been pretty fussy for a couple weeks and the doc seemed to think it was reflux related. Due to her being so active (legs kicking, arms swinging) she was aggravating her reflux, which was making her cranky. We made a small change to her medicine which we're hoping will help, and so far seems to be.

The fussiness was really getting to be a problem. There were a couple weeks where she was so miserable all the time and wasn't napping during the day. It was rough. I finally figured out that she had reached the point where she is able to self-soothe for naps and bedtime and she didn't want to be rocked/walked anymore. She still cries when I put her down for a nap, but she'll only cry 2-3 minutes as opposed to screaming for half an hour and then not napping at all. That and the med change seem to have made a huge difference and she has been really great the past week or so. She's been so sweet and happy and playful.

We had her first Halloween, in which she was an adorable little cow. We are eagerly looking forward to Thanksgiving, at which time I think we will be giving her her first real food!

Here are some new things she's been doing:
- rolling over, tummy to back
- giggling more (I found out she likes when I "buzz" at her like the sound the dryer makes when it's done)
- looking when we say her name
- watching the dogs play
- reaching, grabbing, and shoving everything she gets her hands on into her mouth
- getting pretty good at sitting up with support

I haven't written in a while because I've been spending my days soaking up my little girl. She is so amazing. Here are some things I love and never want to forget:

- The way she lays in bed talking to the butterflies on her bumper in the morning
- The grin I get when I go in to get her from her crib
- How when I pick her up she opens her mouth wide like she's going to eat me up and grabs onto my neck with both hands, burying her face in my chest
- The silly games she plays while she's nursing... she makes funny faces and hides her face in my shirt in between eating
- When something startles her and she looks to me to see if she is supposed to be scared or not...then when I say it's ok and I smile, she grins back like I've just rescued her.
- The way she plays shy and then gives flirty eyes to strangers when we're out
- The pouty lip she gives when she's thinking about crying
- The way she looks so serious when her daddy is flying her around the house playing superbaby...she flies like it's her job
- The way she shakes her toys like it's the greatest thing she's ever done
- How she LOVES when I smell her stinky feet and make faces at her
- The way she reaches out to take my hand and hold it when she's nursing
- The way she arches her back and bends all funky to sleep at night
- The way she looks at me sometimes like she's trying to say something and then gives up and just smiles instead
- The way K goes in to check on her at night and comes out of her room saying, "She's the cutest thing ever."

Giggles!!

I finally caught some of the cutest giggles ever on camera. Kate won't laugh at K or I yet, but she sure finds the dogs hilarious!

Just pictures

A few things to say...

1. Note to self: do not write about the schedule that your daughter has been on for WEEKS. Inevitably when you write about it, it will all go to hell. :/ For the two days after writing that blog, my child refused to sleep during the day. Not that she was unhappy...in fact, she laughed for the first time. She just wouldn't sleep! She even got up at 2:30 in the morning one night, which she never does. Last night, though, she went to bed at 8 and slept until 8 this morning, so hopefully we'll be back on schedule soon.

2. Car salesmen love my child. K and I went to look at cars today (I am very much in need of a "mom" vehicle so we can fit the kid, 2 dogs, and luggage easily in the car when we travel...we're looking at suv's). Anyway, Moo slept in her stroller for a majority of the time we were there - until we went in and actually talked prices. Then she woke up and was making flirty eyes at all the salesmen, who came over and chatted her up. It was too cute.

3. This is totally bragging, so close your eyes if you don't want to read it.... I am back to pre-pregnancy weight! Woohoo! My doctor had talked to me about it at my last appointment when I had 6 pounds left to lose. She is concerned that I'll lose too much given what I had already lost and that I will be (hopefully) breastfeeding long-term. So I've basically been given a free card to eat as much as I can/please (healthy stuff of course) and since I've been doing that I still lost those last 6 pounds. I can only lose 5 more before I'll be in trouble with the doc...so screw the healthy foods... I need more icecream. :)

4. I ordered Moo's Halloween costume today! Can you guess what she will be? :) I can't wait to put it on her. Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so I can't wait!

Ok, I think that is all....for now.

Our schedule...

I feel like Kate and I are finally settling into a somewhat predictable routine. It's really nice and I enjoy our days together. Now that I say this she will probably switch it all up on me....but that's just how it goes. Here is our typical day together:

7:30-745 - Up for the day, eats
7:45-8:15 - Chat with mommy while in her bouncy so I can eat breakfast
8:15-8:30 - Walk, cuddle, fuss until falls asleep for nap
8:30-9:15 - Nap in bouncy
9:15-9:30 - Chat and get dressed

9:30-9:45 - Eats
9:45-10:00 - Read a book
10:00-10:45 - Play (playmat, bumbo, or mommy's lap) or go out for walk
10:45-11:00 - Swing until asleep
11:00-2:30 - Nap (sometimes she will wake up partway through to eat)

2:30-2:45 - Wakes up, eats
2:45-3:30 - Play (playmat, bumbo, or mommy's lap)
3:30-3:45 - Walk, cuddle, fusses to sleep
3:45-5:00 - Nap in swing or on couch

5:00-5:15 - Wakes up, gets medicine, eats
5:15-5:45 - Play (playmat, bumbo, or mommy's lap) until daddy gets home
5:45-6:30 - Time with daddy, then in swing while we eat
6:30-7:00 - Nap

7:00-7:30 - Bath, lotion, pajamas (every third night, otherwise time with mommy and daddy)
7:30-7:45 - Eat
7:45-8:00 - Cuddle and rock with daddy
8:00-8:30 - In bed, puts herself to sleep (sometimes we have to go in and give her paci back to her)

8:30-7:30 - Sleep before we start it all over again

Here's a video of my baby smiling (it's off-center because I had to sneakily turn the camera on, otherwise she just stares at it very seriously...as she does a couple times in this video anyway):

2 months old!

I cannot believe my baby is already 2 months old!! Where has the time gone? I just looked back at an old video of her from her first week at home and can't believe how calm and still she was. She looked almost lethargic. Fast forward to today and I have this kid who is constantly moving, flinging her arms, legs and head about. She grins, she frowns, she has a puppy dog face that will be a weapon against her daddy when she learns how to use it. She has been having some really great days with minimal fussing and I am enjoying her so much. I love my little girl!!

Moby, Moo, and Me

I got myself a Moby! Our Hotsling was great while Kate was itty bitty. Now that she's a true chunker, though, she doesn't fit in it very well and she looks (and probably feels) very uncomfortable. She also HATES being held in a cradle position - she likes to be up on people's chests. So I broke down and got us a Moby. It came in the mail yesterday and so far we both love it. It is a lot easier to put on than I thought it would be and it is so much easier to get her into and out of than the Hotsling. She has been sooooo crabby these past two days. I'm thinking maybe she's going through a growth spurt or something because her sleeping patterns have been all off-kilter, too. Sunday night she slept for 11.5 hours straight! (not that I'm complaining about that!)

Anyway, Moby is helping us keep our sanity. If she wants to be walked around for 6+ hours a day at least this way I have my hands free so I can read a book or something. :) Today we Moby'd to the post office and back.

Moby while awake - she can peek around and see what's going on:

Moby while asleep - I can tuck her little head in so she's not all floppy:
My little devil planning her next move to make me lose my marbles :)