::Henley:: Happy Half Birthday!

We are half of a year old!

Weight

Little Miss had to go to the doctor yesterday due to a little cold (see below) so we actually have up-to-date info on the weight. She weighs 17 lbs 2.5 oz which is in the 75th percentile.


Health

Since Henley was about 4 weeks old she has had one week a month where she is congested. It’s not a cold and never really develops into anything…up until this month. On Thursday night we put her to bed around 7 like normal and went about our normal business. Right when we were going to bed around 10:30 I heard this strange noise coming from the monitor. I went into her room and she was totally congested, to the point where she no longer could breath out of her nose. It was crazy! I couldn't believe how fast it came on, especially since I had checked on her 30 minutes prior and heard nothing.

At the doctor---she loved the mirror

Poor baby doesn't feel well!

 On Sunday, we were eating lunch at Tijuana Flats and we were giving her some of her foods and she was coughing here and there. I was starting to think something was stuck but it continued and got worse throughout the day. Yesterday she was still coughing pretty bad and was actually crying a little every time she would cough so I took her to the doctor. He said her chest and lungs sound fine and it’s probably just a cold that needs to run its course. (boo!) He also was kind enough to let me know that I should expect to get sick within a week or so. :-\


Sleep

I think Henley saw what sleeping through the night felt like and decided it wasn't for her---I think she misses me :-)

How did you get in my bed Silly!

She is still going to bed at 7ish like always but now she gets up typically about once a night. She has been really good about putting herself to sleep when she needs. Sometimes she nurses to sleep and other times she is wide awake when I lay her down. If I lay her down and she doesn’t fall asleep within 15 minutes or so, I usually walk back in there and give her a little rub on the back or whatever and that seems to settle her down.

She was getting up at 2 most of the time, sometimes earlier and sometimes later. In the last week however she has started going until about 4-4:30. Honestly it’s not that bad and I am able to go right back down so if she wants to see me, nurse, and get extra kisses---I’m totally ok with it.


Clothing

She’s slowly working her way into the 6-9 month clothing. I have everything washed and I am slowly noticing more and more 3-6 clothing is too short for her. She’s totally in 9 month PJ’s, those in the 3-6 month range were the first to go.

She is still wearing the same cloth diapers but I am noticing the Small Charlie Bananas are a little too small. We have a few one size diapers that she is now able to wear, I typically am not a fan of the bulk of the one sized.


Diet

This month we finally started solid food---yay! Daycare told us about two weeks ago that Henley has a friend at daycare that is an older baby and she tries to steal her Cheerios. This coupled with her ability to sit up on her own led us to believe she was ready. See my post here for the foods she's been eating. She had pears for breakfast and carrots for dinner tonight and she loved it!

Baby Gear Love

We are finally loving Sophie the Giraffe Teether. She's had this since day one but never really got the hang of chewing on it until recently. She also loves this rasberry teether and this Baby Einstein teether. We are able to see little nubs just under the surface but no teeth just yet.

We also got her the Jenny Jump Up which she LOVES. She gets in it and spins around and jumps. It's adorable. We get the most smiles when she's in there.

Since we started solid foods we have really been using our Graco Space Saver High Chair. It's really easy to get her into and she doesn't seem to mind. It cleans up pretty easily which says a lot being it can't get pretty messy!

We love avocados!

Crying

My little smarty pants is learning what crying means and is using it to her advantage. She has started crying and fussing when we leave the room sometimes. It's really cute that she wants us to stay, I just hope it's not starting a pattern. Once she sees us or hears our voice she is totally fine. 

This week with her cold she has been a little more fussy and crying than normal. Hoping she feels better soon!


Social

On Memorial Day we went to the beach with some friends of ours and their little one Ronan, my sister, and some of her friends. Henley rocked the red, white, and blue.

 After a long day at the beach, just relaxing...

We celebrated Dad's 30th Birthday! She even signed his cookie cake!

Then Henley stayed with Aunt Allie while Mom and Dad had a little alone time!

Last week on Monday Henley had water day at school. She has one of these days every other week. The ladies at Daycare said she loved it!

On Friday Henley had a visitor for Father's Day. She made Dad a tie and they had rootbeer and corndogs for lunch. This picture seriously made me melt at work, I even cried. I love what a great Dad he is!

Happy Father's Day!

Snuggled with Dad a lot on the couch

Five Guys with Mom and Dad

Postpartum

I feel like I am almost normal! Yay! My hair is no longer falling out, most of my stretch marks are gone, all of my postpartum aches and pains are better---finally! It took six months but I am feeling great. Now it's time to get my crap together and work out! I'm so disappointed that I haven't really been on top of it. I just need to bite the bullet and do it, I will feel so much better about myself if I do!

Milestones

We are sitting up unassisted.

We are playing and starting to use a sippy cup. 

We are eating solids.

We are up on all fours.

...and scooting around everywhere (time to baby proof the house!)

We started using a high chair out at restaurants too!

This month has been extraordinary. Each month gets better and better. I cannot wait to see what month six has in store. 

Happy Half Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!

Have a great week!

Mere :-)

::Henley:: Day Care Must Haves

As I was getting everything ready for tomorrow I was thinking that we definitely have this working mom/daycare routine down pat so I thought I'd share what we do. Little Miss has been in daycare for almost three months now and there are some must-have's and tips & tricks that I have come to love that I thought I would put together a post to share!

Every night after Henley goes to bed, I get everything ready for her for the morning. First thing I do is lay out her clothes, diaper, and D drops for Dad. I leave everything he will need in the morning on the changing table (leave no outfit choices for Dad---there is no telling what fashion faux-pas he will make) {love you honey}

Outfit, Bib, Socks, Diaper, D Drops

[Note: on the outfit, we make sure to send pants or Baby Legs now due to carpet burn on the knees!]

After that I get the bottles ready and pack the diaper bag. Most day care providers ask you to label everything you send. I hate labeling her clothing so my compromise is to pack every outfit in a ziploc bag, this also ensure the outfits I put together are what she wears and also provides a bag for them to put any stinky or dirty outfits. 

Every 1-2 weeks I send a pack of diapers and wipes (see my post here about Honest diapers)

Another thing I have LOVED for daycare has been Orbitz bottle labels from Inchbug. For the first few weeks I was labeling her bottles and lids with permanent marker but it came off every night. It doesn't seem like a huge deal but labeling everything each night gets old. I saw these online and I love them! I also got these labels for the lids from Namebubbles. They are stickers that are dishwasher safe. I have it on her lids, the tags on her blankets, sheets, bibs and they have show zero wear. I also recently started putting them on her bowls that I send for her solids now. 

These things are working great for us. Any favorite things you have discovered that work well for you guys?! Please share!!

As much as I love her day care, I'm glad I get my Little Miss all to myself for the weekend!!

Happy Weekend All!

Mere :-)

::Henley:: Nom Nom

Every since I found out I was pregnant I have been very thorough in preparing for each stage in both my pregnancy and in Henley's growth. The next big stage that I have known was around the corner was starting solids. Everything I read said to start at six months and not any sooner. I totally planned on sticking to that but as most plans do, they went right out of the window.

Henley has expressed serious interest in food and is sitting up like a big girl so I decided to try oatmeal last weekend. I found a recipe, took my oatmeal and ground it in the food processor and went to town. I was so excited to give it to her. I got her all strapped in the seat, got the cute little bowl and spoon all ready and nada. She hated it. She was cringing and gagging and overall not a fan! Bummer!

The next day I decided to buy some organic pureed pears to see how she would do (I was curious if it was a texture thing versus a solid food issue). Turns out that is the case! She absolutely loved the pears. She couldn't get enough!

I tried the oatmeal again and got the same reaction so I think it's definitely a texture thing. Since trying the pears, we have tried avocado, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. She has loved everything. She loves feeding herself--I think she's going to be Miss Independent (taking after mama!) Here are some pictures we have been able to capture over the last few days of meal times!

The avocado ones are hilarious---I love how gross they look :-)

Before we started solids I had read and researched a lot about Baby Led Weaning. For those who aren't aware of this method of feeding your baby, it's based on the thought that babies feed themselves whatever you are eating. (i.e. No feeding pureed food, just give them whole pieces). I read the book and was very gung-ho about it. Before we even tried the oatmeal, I tried giving Henley a banana a few times. She hated it. She bit a few chunks off, gagged and had some chills. 

Bananas became play time

The book warns that gagging is totally normal and it isn't choking but it is nerve-wracking. 

After seeing how much she loves the pureed food, I'm starting to wonder if the whole solids are just not for her at this time. I love the thoughts that the book promotes (baby should feed themselves at their own pace, no rushed meal time, baby eats at the table with the family). I also thought the book had a tons of great tips and thoughts that I otherwise would not have considered. I am going to try the large pieces of solids again sometime soon but for now, probably just stick to the purees.

Have any of you tried BLW, what was your experience? 

I love feeding her solids but we are definitely taking it slow. At this age she should still be getting over 90% of her nutrition from milk and I'd like that to continue. I always nurse her before feeding the solids and she is still drinking the same amount of milk at day care. As often as I can, I have been making the purees myself using my Beaba BabyCook. Some other things that I have been loving in this process are my Munchkin Suction Bowls with storage lids, Beaba travel baby fork and spoon, and oxo Food Container for when I need to freeze the extra.

It's crazy to think Henley is already to a point where solids will become everyday activities, she's getting so big!

Sorry I've been so MIA lately---life has been crazy, usually in a good way. I haven't wanted to miss one second with my Little Miss but I have a few topics to blog coming up soon.

Tomorrow is Friday folks----one.more.day!

Mere :-)

::Henley:: On the MOVE!

It looks like it may be time to start baby proofing the house!! Baby is on the move ---



Happy Weekend All!!

Mere :-)

::Get Fit:: Stretch Marks Before and After!

If you've been reading for a while, you know that right after Henley was born I posted my goals for getting fit and healthy post partum. As part of that post I mentioned that I started using a cream on my stretch marks. I was initially using Bio Oil but had read great reviews about Mama Mio's Goodbye Stretch Marks so decided to give it a try. 

The directions say to use it three times a day but I didn't have time to dedicate to that. I put it on in the morning and any time I got out of the shower. I didn't use it on my breasts if I knew I would be feeding Henley soon thereafter and the marks on my breasts are darker than my stomach. This makes sense since I was much more diligent about putting it on my belly, I really didn't want Henley ingesting the lotion. I am about halfway through my second bottle of this.

Here we are three months since that post (five months since Henley's birth) with results from using this lotion. We have been going to the beach lately and my hubs pointed out how light the marks were. I knew they were getting better but hearing someone else point it out was great to hear. I took pictures this morning and now seeing the pictures side by side is proof how well they look. I almost didn't believe it. 

Before w/o flash

After w/o flash

Before w/ flash

After w/ flash

I am so pleased with these results. If you are having problems with stretch marks I highly recommend this cream. It's $70 but worth it for me. I just wanted to share and let you all know there is hope!

Thanks to the short week it's already Thursday! Yay! 

Mere :-)

::Holidays:: Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! We enjoyed a low key day on the beach and Henley rocked the most patriotic suit of all!

Have a Great Day!!

Mere :-)

::Henley:: 5 Month Update!

Many of my friends that already have babies kept telling me how fun it gets when the babies hit 4 months old and I couldn't agree more. This month has been full of milestones, laughs, giggles, smiles, and overall change. She sees us from across the room. She squawks and chats all of the time. She is so fun and it gets better and better each day! I can't wait to see what Month 5 has in store for us!

Weight

We went to the doctor's office for her 4 month appointment and she weighed 14 lbs 14 ozs. I have no idea what she weighs now but I'm guessing at least 15 lbs. Carrying her in the infant car seat is getting heavy! I actually ordered a convertible car seat today so we don't have to keep taking the car seat into day care (the hubs drops off and I pick up). I'm looking forward to not having to lug that thing around anymore.

Health

She's really had a great month overall. She got her 4 month shots last month and both mom and baby did better than we did for her two month shots. She is in the 60th and 75th percentiles for weight and height respectively. The doctor said everything looks great with her and she's right on schedule.

She's been getting congested at night pretty regularly since about 1-2 months old. She sounds fine during the day and I've read that this is just how some babies are. It really doesn't seem to bother her and she's still in a great mood so mama's learned to deal with it.

Sleep

This has been an exciting month for sleep. She has gone from her Rock n Play, to the Pack n Play, and finally to the crib. We started with putting her in the Pack n Play and she would last about 4-5 hours in there but after that, she wasn't interested. We tried swaddled, unswaddled, and only one arm swaddled but after her first stretch of sleep, she was done with the PnP and would end up in our bed.

About two weeks ago, my mom was visiting on a Saturday to hang out. When it was time for Henley to go down for a nap, we put her in the crib. We had been doing this for a few weeks but it just seemed like she loved it. She went down and slept for an hour in the crib. She would rumble and start to wake up and then put herself back to sleep. The next day, we did another nap in the crib and she slept for two hours in the crib. After that I started thinking it is time for the crib at night.

We weren't quite ready for her to be so far away and we have a guest bed in our nursery so we thought we would all try the crib out on that Sunday night. Trying the crib for the first time on a week night probably wasn't the best idea but it turned out great! Ted and I slept in the bed in her room, Fitz was totally perturbed (he hates change), and Henley slept from 7:30-6:30! She did this again the second and third nights! On the fourth night she got up at 4 and I nursed and put her back down. We didn't swaddle her since she was napping without the swaddle and now that she can roll, it's perfect. 

A typical night is Henley is in the crib at 7:30 unswaddled and she rolls on her side. Around midnight she rumbles and turns on her belly for the rest of the night. For the most part she is sleeping 10-11 hours straight although we've had a few nights of her waking at 2 or 4. Those nights I try to soothe her and if she doesn't fall back asleep, I nurse her and lay her back down. 

I have really been shocked how well this has been overall. While she was still sleeping in the RnP, she would stretch forever in the mornings, now that she's in the crib there is very little stretching. I really think this means that she was ready for the crib and had outgrown the RnP.

This has been even further confirmation of our parenting style---we really try to listen to her and follow her cues and so far it has proven to be successful for us. I know it may not work for every family but it's working for us.

Clothing

She is wearing 3-6 month clothes for the most part. She has tons of cute clothing that I have been buying from BabyGap, Old Navy, and Carters. Now that we aren't swaddling, she is wearing footy pj's (I die of cuteness) and the 6 month size of those is getting a little snug. I think it may be time to bump up the size in those. 

The larger size of cloth diapers are working out great!! We have had zero blow outs (which we can't say the same for the disposables at day care). She is wearing gDiapers in a Medium, Swaddlebees in a Medium, and Charlie Bananas in a Small. We have been loading the Charlie Bananas with two liners for night time and they have been perfect! No leaks and her skin is dry in the morning.

Diet

Only mama's milk still. Breastfeeding is still going great although now that she is more aware of her surroundings, it's a little more challenging. I find her looking around and pulling on my boob as she looks wherever noise is coming from.

The doctor told us to wait until six months for solids and we are going to try to stick with those recommendations. She is watching us eat but I think that is just mainly because she is checking everything out.

Baby Gear Love

This month has really been the start of her getting to play with her bigger toys.

The Baby Einstein Activity Saucer is one of her favorite things. She will sit in there and play with everything. She has started even hitting the buttons to get it to sing.

We are finally using the Moby Go Carrier instead of the Bjorn. This supports her body better, instead of her dangling from her crotch, her whole body is supported.

When we moved her to her room, one thing we noticed was that all of her soothers were on timers. In our room, we had an iHome alarm clock that played the white noise constantly but in her room, once the soothers stopped, she would wake up. We researched on Amazon and got her the Munchkin Nursery Projector ---This is so great! It has continuous play, has a nightlight and a projector. For $24.99 there is no better deal!

Some of the other toys that she really has been drawn to are the Taggies blanket and this toy from Target.


Crying

Same on this---she only cries when she is hungry or tired which I know is amazing. We are blessed!

Social

Lots of exciting stuff going on in the world of Henley! She has really been great to go out with and it's great to get into a new normal with her.

On Saturday, April 20th Henley participated in the breaking of the Guinness Book of World Record for the most cloth diapers changed at one time. There was an expo in town that had vendors from various local green businesses, a cloth diaper swap, and bunch of activities for children and families. During this was the Great Cloth Diaper Change. Since it was a Guinness Record, there were certain rules to follow in order for it to count (apparently these were being held all over the country at the exact same time). At 11:00am, all of the moms and babies were on stage, they blew a whistle and a-changing we went. Afterwards we all held the babies up for a picture. My cousin happened to be there too so Henley and Brooklyn (who are two weeks apart) participated together.

On stage getting ready for the change

Holding our clean cloth diapers up before the change

Changing

All Done!!

We went to my mom's pool and hung out.

Henley had her first "school" pictures. Mama made sure to put her in the most adorable outfit we could find---complete with pink glitter shoes!

On Mother's Day, I got to go to Henley's school for muffins with mom. It was so great having a break in my day to see her plus I got a cute keepsake that I have hanging in my office.

On Mother's Day weekend Henley got dedicated at church.

We went to the beach for Mother's Day. Henley was great. She played on her belly for a while, fell asleep for an hour, and then played a little more.

Snoozing

We went on our first run with Henley in the BoB. She was out about one mile in. It was great to get out there and run.

Postpartum

This mama is going bald! My biggest complaint at the moment is mega hair loss. I swear I have bald spots and a receding hair line. It's out of control. I have heard this slows down at around six months postpartum, I can't wait!!

I have been using Goodbye Stretch Marks from Mama Mio for about four months now and they are almost gone! It's so great. I recommend this to anyone!

This week I weighed myself and I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight (yay). I still have a lot of toning to do but back to this weight is a start :-)


Milestones

This month she has been crazy with milestones.

First one was that Henley rolled from back to belly.

Once she learned to roll it would take about 15 seconds before she was onto her belly. It took her about three weeks but yesterday she finally rolled from belly to her back. 

About two weeks ago she started sitting up. She folds forward but she is definitely getting control of sitting. I love this picture, I think it's because I can see her neck. I don't get to see it very often with all of that chunk around!

Like I said, this month has been more than great! I cannot wait for things to come.

A little photo shoot with mama :-)

As you can see these posts are massive! I feel like weekly updates are too frequent but these are so pack with info and photos they get a little daunting. I need to find a happy median. :-)

It's finally the weekend!!! I am battling a little cold or something so say a little prayer I feel better! Hope your weekend is awesome!

Mere :-)