We're on the move! Literally and virtually :) While the big physical move to the new house is a week or two away (Brynn is always on the move!) this blog is moving to a new space.
www.thisfamilybliss.com
Bliss, Sarah? Really you live in bliss? I can't read minds but those thoughts may have crossed yours. The thing I really like about the new blog name is amongst all the stressors of moving, working, raising a babe and being a wife..this really is bliss. My little family makes the littlest things so good. Rocking a sleepy baby, strolling the city streets, sharing family dinners..it's a simple life but it's a blissful one too. So join me at the new site. I'm going to work on this site referring over to the new one but if you want to follow by email enter your email on the right hand side of the new site.
Well that was a quick month. Did you follow on Instagram? I think I missed two days which is better than I thought I would do. Ill continue to post there but I'm not going to be disappointed in myself if I forget.
We've been working on the house for a whole month and the novelty has begun to wear off. Luckily we are getting close to a livable space. This weekend has been a whirlwind as the new renters move in tomorrow, I had a nasty bout of mastitis and still trying to make progress on the new house :) but we survived!
Enjoy some baby to brighten your day!
And yes she is playing in the dog toy box...
Just an update from my last post to cover all the baby skills Brynn has and an update to her birthday. Due to our sanity running out remodeling our new house (and a few delayed deliveries which let's be honest are bound to happen!) we're moving her birthday celebration to Saturday June 29th. Hopefully you are still free!
These past few weeks have been an explosion of knowledge and skills for our little one. I can only imagine this will continue as she learns more words and ::gasp:: learns to walk.
You point at everything and make an "eeh"noise until we acknowledge it. You did this in the toy aisle at Target then cried when we walked away. We may be in trouble.
You stand on you own for extended periods of time..it's only time before you are running 5ks.
You dance when we play music. It's not very coordinated but you are our child so you didn't have much hope in the rhythm department.
You haven't had a bottle in weeks...all mommy or sippy cup.
Words are a hit or miss except woof woof and dada. But we've heard mama, Magnus, meow "more like eow" but who's checking, quack quack and yes
You shake your head no with the best of them. Yes is less frequent but you've got it down.
We've seen you sign milk and more. We're working on thank you. I'm probably going to teach you to say thank you after everything I do. Buckle you in your carseat? Thank you. Brush your teeth? Thank you. Change your diaper? Thank you. Motherhood won't be thankless for long :)
You are on the fast track to toddler-hood. Even your clothes from Baby Gap distinguish 12+month as toddler and it makes me a little sad! You have become increasingly vocal and are learning to mimic the words we say. You are the best at "woof woof" :)You are also becoming increasingly fasting at crawling and at using your walker (if you've never seen it just imagine an old person walker but in bright colors and appropriately sized). You still like to take things out of baskets and another mama promised me you'd soon put things back. You still love to take baths and will happily play for as long as we let you in your little spa. You continue to eat anything and everything you're offered and now that you have your first molar I imagine chewing will become much easier! You love to spend time outside at the park or for stroller rides. The fresh aid does wonders for you and you usually take good naps. You've had a few bumps while learning to stand but nothing a quick hug or nursing session couldn't fix.
We can't believe your first birthday is just around the corner. Dear readers, please consider this to be your pre-birthday invitation. Our {new} house, June 15th, afternoon. Invite to follow.
If you remember I promised to update you after we started solids. Here's the deal with cloth, when you start solids you have to rinse the ::ahem:: poop off the diaper. BUT did you know you're suppose to empty disposable diapers in the toilet too?? Yep you're not even suppose to throw away poopy diapers..you can find these instructions in small print on your diaper box.
As it turns out it's not a big deal!!! We sill use disposable diapers at night (and really like the Honest brand...and PS they deliver!) and baby girls *usually* goes in the morning (haha won't she be pleased to know I posted this on the internet!) we don't even have to deal with rinsing off the cloth diapers. But when we do it's STILL not a big deal. Maybe it's the nurse in me...or my desire to save the trees...but it's just not as bad as I thought it could be.
Aren't cloth diaper butts the cutest? Even white ones are cute!
On another note a few weekends ago a friend and I took our babies to the "Great Cloth Diaper Change" where they tried to break the world record of the most cloth diapers being changed at one time ( I think they broke it!). We got a free cloth diaper out of the
deal and it was a fun event. We'll be sure to go next year..and then hopefully after that we'll be talking potty training :)
1. Baby Bjorn Bib: this thing catches *almost* everything. Baby led weaning is a messy process (but again I highly recommend it!) and this bib makes it easier to manage the clean up process.
2. Boon spoon and fork: This set is awesome because they bend to better accomadate the grasp of a baby learning to feed them selves. Baby loves to feed herself and these help the food reach her mouth more often.
3. Happy Baby Puffs! Even though we've moved on to regular cereal (we like Full Circle organic toasted oats) these puffs were a great snack. Crying baby? Puffs. Bored baby? Puffs. Hungry parents? Puffs. So these aren't very nutritious and shouldn't replace real food but they are a good treat!
4. MD Moms Baby silk sunscreen wipes. Now that is it FINALLY sunny we need to sunscreen up baby before the park. These wipes are super handy.
5. It's Time to Sleep My Love by Nancy Tillman. We have a bedtime routine that now includes brushing our teeth together (we used to use the little finger brush but she really likes to brush her 7 teeth herself!) the we'll read a book before nursing to sleep. I really like this book as the story is very lyrical and the picture are beautiful.
In case you were curious all opinions are my own and I don't make any $$ by promoting products :)
PPS I saw this disclaimer on another blog and since I don't need some sort of legal snafu in the midst of our renovation :)
The blog will be pretty quiet this month as we get the new house ready. By the end if the day the kitchen and basement will be gutted and ready for our modern updates. We have lots of ideas for this house that will take time to accomplish but that is all part of the fun. Instead of blogging I've set a goal to post once/day on my Instagram as a way to capture our renovation and moving adventure. Instagram is a free photo sharing website so if you don't have an account you should consider joining and follow me at SarahP_MPLS, my icon photo is Magnus so you'll be sure to recognize me :)
We closed on our second house this afternoon. A real single family house.
Two houses in two years.
So if my math is correct in ten years we will own ten homes. (: I'll thank my grumpy math teacher Mr. Nelson for those mad skills!
The truth is I'm a little sad to leave the duplex it was our first home and the home we brought little Brynny home to after all. The funny thing is we almost didn't even go inside the duplex when we first pulled up to the open house but our realtor was already inside so we obliged. You know when they say "you'll get a feeling"? Well we had a feeling about the duplex. Yes the outside was a sore thumb but inside the orginal wood floors were in great shape and the vintage bathrooms were in decent 60 year old shape. We always knew it was going to be an investment property and we are ready for some more space. Besides I have a not so secret dream that someday Brynn will want to live here someday with a friend. It will be crazy to think what this area will be like in 20+ years based on all the new building/stores/restaurants that are currently in the works!
We've looked a lot of houses over the past year, multi and single family homes, only to keep looking. The duplexes we saw were either disasters (aka money pits) or really overpriced (which only made us more confident that we got a great deal on our current house!). The single family houses were a combination of houses that were already updated (and not in our style), lacked enough bedrooms or space in general, or were too expensive. Then this one came along and we made it ours. The nice thing about this house is that if we had to live here for a long time we could, but I have a feeling we'll be ready to remodel again in a few years once we have this house complete. As a bonus we've already rented the other side of the duplex..it actually took two showings instead of one this time because the first showing really wanted a dishwasher. The couple we found are two teachers with advanced degress who are getting married in a month. One actually teaches at the elementary school that Brynn will probably go to!
We have lots to look forward to in our new house (don't laugh as I know these are things most of you are used to!)
-2 car garage
-3 bedrooms on the same level
-a YARD
-new windows (I am over the "charm" of original windows that have been painted 20 times!)
-a fireplace (actually 2!)
-an open concept kitchen (after living in the condo for 3 years I really missed the ability to see the action while making dinner)
-a king sized bed!!
Magnus choice of "spots" in our homes:
1. Condo deck..preferably in the sunshine!
We walked around the block this evening per Magnus' request even though I knew he had only been walked an hour earlier by our nanny. Five houses up the street our neighbor has an in-home daycare where our little neighbors, twin four year old boys, go to daycare. We walked by and they rode their bikes up to the fence to greet Magnus and Brynn. I asked them if they were having fun and the one little dude responded "we like spring". I laughed and thought how perfectly he summarized how every Minnesotan was feeling today. I sat in my office today just itching to go outside... it was terribly unproductive. There is a really nice trail system connected to our campus so I took a quick 30 minute walk and felt much better to finish the afternoon. When I got home I learned Brynn and Allie had walked to the park on the lake where she met a little girl on the swings. Of course all I could think about was how I wanted to bring her to the park instead of sitting in that silly office. Apparently being a working mother is harder in the summertime :( so please send me all the school nurse jobs you can find! We finished our walk and did a few yard chores. I have a few tulips coming through and even though our grass was really brown during last summer's drought it's coming up nice and green albeit a little patchy. The city planted a new tree in our front yard and even though I tried my best to water it (I did have a newborn after all!) There are very few buds on it but I'll keep watching it.
This past weekend we spent up north with at our friends at their cabin. Brynn hung out with her bud Crosby. It's hard to believe that only 6 months ago Brynn was Crosby's age! Brynn enjoyed some quality outdoors time, probably ate dirt for the first time, and stayed up late (see the picture of her standing on my pillow after crawling away from a diaper change!)
Last Sunday Brynn was baptized at our church. We were so blessed to have so many family members available for the occasion and it was just a wonderful time to spend with people that love her. Truth be told we thought baptism was AFTER church and only found out three days prior that it was actually during service. While I don't judge other parents when their babies cry during church...I didn't want MY baby to cry during church let alone during baptism :) Luckily Brynn was a rockstar even when her dad tipped her back and Pastor Eric and gently baptized her. Brynn wore the same baptism gown that's been in my dad's family for 108 years. We slipped it on right before the baptism and took it off right after getting back to our pew. We were not going to risk a 108 year old dress with a 10 month old :) Despite no nap Brynn played with all her "guests" until she had enough and we headed home for a nap. Brynn received some wonderful gifts that she will cherish for years.
Every month is our new favorite. So much happened this month I hope I remember it all! You've officially become a fast little mover. We can't take our eyes off you for one second because you will be off in the other direction. Mom went to a baby proofing brunch and it was very helpful to know all that should be done. We're going to wait until we move into our new house to install things like cabinet locks so in the meantime we are just going to be very watchful. You learned to dance this month! I know the nanny plays music most of the day so you are used to listening to lots of different sounds. I found a indie kids station on Pandora that both you and I like to listen to...win win. You'll dance by grooving back and forth and your face will just light up. You also learned to hug!!! There is nothing in world that is better than when your little arms hold onto us so tight. Hugs are almost guaranteed when we get home from work. You also are drinking out of a sippy cup like a champ. At your 9 month appt I learned you should be essentially weaned off the bottle by 12 months so we thought we better get on the sippy cup learning curve but it didn't take you long at all. I think you actually prefer the cup over the bottle. You are most entertained by taking things out of baskets. You've also learned to throw toys/food...this activity goes hand in hand with the baskets. We can't wait for you to learn how to put the toys back :)
Brynn is such a good little eater! I think she really looks forward to food time. This might looks like a lot of food but half (if not more) ends up on the floor or in the bib. Recently she's learned the art of throwing toys and food so we've learned to take that as a sign that dinner time is done :) My fav go-to baby food stops are Lunds and Trader Joe's (TJs). Both sell a good selection of organic produce (I follow the dirty dozen pretty religiously EWG Dirty Dozen sometimes to the dismay of my wallet) and Lunds sells 1lb of mango already cut up which saves me time. The butternut squash ravioli comes from from TJs and is really good with a simple brown butter sauce :: recipe here (I skip the sage) Brown Butter Sauce ::
We had a wonderful first Easter as a family. On Saturday baby and I took advantage of the warm weather and walked around the lake to my friend Katie's new house. We had a nice visit and Brynn enjoyed exploring the new house with her new found fast freedom. It's so comical to see the number of people walking around the lake when all winter we've essentially had the path to our self or shared it with a few other winter walker/runners. Saturday night was the offical start to the grilling season with some turkey burgers and beers. Oh how I love warm weather. When we got home we had a quick photo session to grab some Easter picks. Now that Brynn is so mobile it's getting to be more challenging but I just got a new camera remote the other day which should make things a little easier (and less of a workout!)
On Sunday morning we got baby dressed in her Sunday finest while I changed 5 times trying to find something that was A. not black (doesn't seem right to wear on Easter!) B. nursing friendly and C. warm enough :) We ventured out to church and arrived ON-TIME, quite the accomplishment really. But despite our arrival time we didn't get seats in the main church and were sent to watch the service on a large screen in "fellowship hall" aka the basement right next to the nursery. In the end it worked out as Brynn was able to crawl around in the back on the carpet while the 5 children in the last row turned around the whole time and watched her. I'm sure their parents we're really pleased that my baby was such a distraction to their kiddos but what do you do?? 40 minutes later we were on the road to my parents for Easter Bruch #1. Brynn was the center of attention and got some sweet Easter presents. She sat at the table with us and ate eggs, watermelon and grapes like a big girl. With a quick stop home to pick up the dog we were on the way to Easter #2. Brynn and Magnus burned off some more energy crawling and running respectively :) Brynn got another easter basket full of goodies and then we had another delicious ham meal.
Yesterday Brynn was 40 weeks and 3 days old. She has officially been out as long as she was in the womb. So in honor of this occasion this is the story of Brynn's birth in all it's glory. I wrote in a few weeks after she was born and truthfully it starts to get a little blurry Friday afternoon so my mom and Kyle might need to clarify some of the deatils! If you don't like medical birth terms feel free to skip it. The story is really for myself, Kyle and Brynn if she someday wants to learn all the details. I thought it would be best to store it out on the internet in case someday my computer dies.
The short version? Brynn was born a healthy and beautiful baby on June 15th. The end.
The long version:
The Wednesday before Brynn’s birth there were thunderstorms
throughout the metro and like the last big storm over Memorial Day weekend I
had contractions off and on overnight. To keep myself busy I made some strawberry
muffins that required whipping egg whites into “stiff peaks”. It was actually a
bread recipe that my mom gave me that I modified for muffins. Since I didn’t want
to wash my electric mixer I did it by hand resulting in contractions! I read in
my Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth that arm wrestling can strengthen contractions
and whipping egg whites for 20 minutes has the same effect! I had read to
ignore early signs of labor and get as much sleep as possible so that’s what I
tried to do. I was up at least
every hour trying to get comfortable and moaning through the contractions, loud
enough to wake Kyle up. When he’d asked if I was having contractions I lied
::sorry!:: so he would sleep some more. Around 630 I finally told him the truth
and just like I thought he couldn’t go back to sleep! At that point the
contractions slowed to every 20-30 minutes so I signed into my work computer
before our 920AM 40 week midwife appointment.
At the appointment everything
checked out normal, BP was great, no concerning symptoms and I had progressed
from a “1-2 cm” to 2 cm. I was still 90% effaced and the baby was at a +1
station (aka really really low). I asked for my membranes to be swept again as
they were the previous week to see if that would get things progressing. For
those who are curious this is when the provider uses sweeps a finger between
the bag of waters and cervix. There is some limited research that it can help
get labor moving but only if your body is ready. After the appointment we
stopped by Southdale to walk as it was still raining outside and if contractions
continue while you walk it’s a good sign that it’s “real” labor. I got a decaf
iced coffee and we did a few laps. At home I signed back into work while
sitting on my birth ball until the contractions starting coming at a regular
basis around noon. I timed them on my iPhone and they were coming between 7-10
minutes. I worked until about 2PM when I could no longer focus on work between
contractions. I texted my co-worker and started to focus on my contractions.
They continued to increase in frequency and with more strength so Kyle
convinced me to call the nurse midwife line when they reached every 5 minutes.
The nurse said she’d relay the message and the midwife on call would call me
back. Two hours later the contractions were coming between 3 and 4 minutes so I
called back in. I was able to manage them with ease using my exercise ball to
lean on in our bed.
The nurse said to head into the hospital
and she would call ahead for me. Kyle and I packed up our things and headed in!
I couldn’t believe the next time we’d be home would be with a baby! On the way
to the hospital my contractions spaced out and I became nervous that they would
send me home. After parking in the ramp I actually asked Kyle to drive home
because I was convinced they’d send me home and they were not painful enough! I
wanted to go home and go for a walk to see if they would pick up. Luckily Kyle
convinced me to go in as shortly after we arrived the maternity floor closed to
new admissions and we would have had to find a new hospital had we showed up an
hour later. I can only imagine the stress that would have put on me! Triage was
full (probably because of the storm the night before!) so they sent me to a
room for evaluation, the nurse checked me and I was 3cm dilated. They sent me
to walk the halls for an hour, so Kyle and I walked while I stopped about
once/lap to use the handrail during my contractions. There was another couple
walking the halls with us. While I stop approximately once per lap to breath
through the contraction the other mom sped past me in some sort of power walk. I
remember looking at her thinking “how can you walk that fast??”. Needless to
say they got sent home.
After an hour I was checked again and was now 4cm so I
got to stay! The next couple of hours involved answering questions between
contractions and getting settled into a routine. The nurse brought me a birth
ball which I used in a variety of positions including the bed. We put on my positive birth affirmations
track (from my Hypnobabies course) and I listened to the 60 minutes of
affirmation on repeat. The contractions continued to come on a regular basis
and increased in their intensity. The most painful part turned out to be
something I didn’t expect which was contraction in my upper thighs. Afterwards I searched for this thigh contraction that I hadn't come across and I guess it can happen, luckily it said this is not a guarantee to happen next time as each labor can be different. The contraction
would move in a wave ending on my thighs which made it hard to move during the
contraction. Kyle and my mom did a great job coaching me through the
contractions and massaging my upper thighs. At times they each massage one
thigh as I worked through the contraction. I labored through the night using
the ball and tub. I wish they had large tubs that you could immerse your whole
body in versus just the standard size and for my next birth I’ll be sure to
seek out a place that offers this.My cervix slowly progressed as well reaching 6 cm around 3AM (I think).
At this point I was really tired having not slept that well
the night before and would fall asleep between my contractions but I felt so
close to 7cm which usually means transition and in my mind I knew once I
reached transition that I could do it! I continue to move around through the
contractions but nothing I did seemed to make a difference. I tried kneeling,
sitting backwards on the toilet (sounds odd but a lot of labor techniques
recommend it!), the birthball and simply laying down as I became more
exhausted. I had Kyle and my mom remind me to drink and eat but I had no real
appetite. Around 430/5 my midwife came in again and offered to check my
progress and to my dismay I was still at a 6. I asked what we could do and she
offered to break my water. I read a lot of natural birth stories to help
prepare myself for labor and a common theme was that once your water was broken
(particularily if it’s artificially broken) labor become way more intense. At
this point I was exhausted and could fathom having to deal with contractions
that were more intense. I talked it over with Kyle and he agreed it was time
for an epidural. I guess I’m still disappointed that an epidural was necessary
for me to deliver Brynn but at the same time having a healthy baby was goals. Later Kyle told me how relieved
he was I decided to get it!
After getting an IV placed and receiving my
mandatory bag of fluids Dr. Dondlinger the anesthesiologist was called to place
the epi. He was really good (and a really polite doctor I might add!) and it
was placed quickly and worked well. I slept for a few hours and woke up to the
next change of shift and new midwife who was on-call. Around 9 Vida, the new midwife came in
and offered to check my cervix. At this point I thought for sure I would have
made progress. All the birth stories I read that involved epidurals resulted in the fact that the mom
would finally rest and her cervix would dilate. As it turns out I was not in
this group and I had no dilated at all. AT ALL. I was disappointed to saw the
least but hoped. As I learned later the reason I struggled to dilate beyond a 6
had nothing to do with my innabilty to relax but Brynn’s position. Vida then
brought in an exercise ball shaped like a peanut. Apparently they had just
received them the week before and they were supposed to help you dilate and
they worked best with women who had epidurals. I spent the rest of the day
being turned side to side with the peanut between my legs eating popsicles and
watch Modern Family on the iPad. Slowly I dilated to a 9 but then paused
sometime around 6PM. My uterus was getting tired and my contractions were not
as strong so they started a low dose pitocin (another thing I had hoped to
avoid because it can lead to extra strong contractions which sometimes the baby
doesn’t tolerate and you end up with an emergency c-section). At this point my
epidural was wearing off and I was feeling contractions in strips down my belly
and my thighs. I would try to roll to the side I was feeling the pain to help
move the medication but it was no longer helping and the nurse let me know that
I had essentially used up all my epidural time. The benefit was I could now move
myself around the bed and after essentially being at the mercy of the nurses
the last 12 hours it felt nice to help at least move myself in bed.
Around 7:45ish (my memory is very
blurry at this point!) Vida came back in for another progress check but I was
still at a 9. She let me know she felt a lot of “caput” which is essentially
the babies head was getting a bruise due to mal-position. The reason I hadn’t
been dilating was that Brynn’s head wasn’t putting pressure on my cervix like
it was suppose to. She made a few adjustments and decided to let me push to see
if we could move the last part of the cervix out of the way. This has some
risks as if you push too soon the cervix can swell which will require a
c-section. But I was lucky and she was able to push the cervix away (with some
force I might add!).She looked at
the nurse and said it’s time to push!
I. Was. So. Excited.
For the first time
in a long time that day I smiled (mostly there had been tears as I feared for a
c-section and felt guilty for getting the epidural).I gave a few more practice pushes and Vida gave the green
light to remove my catheter (too much information? haha..well childbirth is not very glamerous)! This was another
positive sign as they would only take it out if I was making progress with my pushes. Then the real pushing began. I'd push with each contraction initially not
noticing much change but Vida was pleased with my progres. I pushed on my side with my mom and Kyle’s support. We turned on music on my phone and the
only CD I had downloaded on my iTunes was Mishka, which for those who don’t
know is a reggae artist. I’m not sure which song Brynn was born to but it was
one of his! It created quite the relaxing..and somewhat tropical vibe to the birthing suite! Soon Brynn moved down into the birth canal and there was immense
pressure/pain. Now I would never compare this part of my labor to a natural
labor but I’m fairly certain the epidural was doing little to nothing at this
point. Not only could I move my self around...I could feel everything. I started to question whether I could do this and asked for more
epidural medication (which I was refused of course as it was too late in the
game). They reminded me to use my hypnobabies techniques and my breathing
techniques in between pushes. It literally felt like she was going to fall out
there was such intense pressure.
Eventually you could see a tiny
part of her head and they brought in a mirror. I thought the mirror would be
more motivating that it really was. I should note one
of the benefits of using midwives (or at least the group I used) is that they
are there with you the entire time you push (and check in frequently during labor) unless another mom is closer to
delivery. It’s nice to have their constant support. As I pushed Brynn’s head
rotated in the birth canal putting her into a better position to deliver. Vida
was apparently impressed at this rotation as I remember her saying that it was
neat to see her rotate as I pushed. Two and half hours later Brynn was born. I
didn’t see her leave me as my eyes were closed as I pushed but when I opened
them they laid her “tiny” screaming body on me.
I was so glad it was over. 34 hours later and it was over.
The pain and pressure were gone and almost instantly (I am
not joking...the pain was gone in an instant) I was full of this euphoria
thanks to a flood of hormones. Brynn rested on my chest as the nurses cleaned her up and Kyle cut the cord. She spent
the next hour with me nursing before they weighed her and did her eye ointment.
Then the grandparents came in to see her for the first time. We eventually
moved to another room and laid down to rest around 3 AM.
A few thoughts for the next time (which shall not take place for a long time):
Have birth partners come in shifts so they get some sleep (But thanks to my mom
and Kyle for staying up with me all night long!)
Stay home as long as possible
Drink more fluids
After I got my bag of fluid (1000ccs) to get my epidural I
felt better so I might try to get fluids next time if I feel exhausted.
Labor in a tub or at least have a large one available.
Have someone take pictures during and after labor. After 34
hours of labor I think we were lucky to grab the camera and get some video
(albeit a little blurry). This thing is there is really no shame when it comes
to childbirth and even though you really don’t look your best (hello puffy face
and double chin!) you’ll want the pictures eventually.
Here is a video from her first day of life. As noted above please ignore the puffy double chin and sweat I'm sporting and focus on what is Brynn minutes old.
Yesterday morning we visited Dr. H for the 9 month well-baby exam. Brynn checked out great with no concerns. You have to fill out a developmental milestone worksheet and it was fun to see how many she already does ahead of the curve and to learn that things like banging objects on the table and handing you toys when you ask are actually documented baby skills and not just random actvities. Brynn has a really well developed pincher grasp which I credit the whole baby led solids adventure. She can pick up the smallest little piece of fuzz off the carpet (and of course try to taste it!)
She continues on her growth curve coming in at 20lbs (64%) and 29.25 inches (93%). Since her infant car seat only goes up to 30 inches it's time we buy the next one!
As it turns out babies are fairly simple. The baby industry is HUGE and full of very expensive toys that require lots of batteries. But at the end of the day Brynn seems to prefer the toys that don't need batteries or toys that are not baby toys at all. Hello TV remote and dog toys. But here's a flashback of the classic box.
After Brynn was born Kyle's mom pulled some old photos out of Kyle as a little baby and the similarities to Brynn were impressive. I think so far we've determined Brynn has my ears, cheeks, and possibly big toes :) everything else is her daddy's.
Brynn you are the best. We can't imagine our life without you and your little giggle. While there are certainly days that we hate having to leave you for work the smile you give us when we come home makes it worth it!
This month you've become increasingly mobile and busy. Napping is much lower on your priority list compared to all the things you can do! You still like to go to bed between 815-9 (closer to 9 since daylight savings). You are such a good little eater and have yet to refuse anything we've offered! I think blueberries are your current favorite with broccoli a close second. You are learning lots of new sounds but we're still waiting on "ma-ma". Magnus is your best friend :) You think he is so soft and he is very nice to let you pet him, we draw the line when you try to examine his nose and teeth! We lowered your crib and you are very good and pulling yourself up on the bars I imagine that is quite the workout for a little one!
Momma can't wait for the weather to warm up! Last year it was unseasonable warm at 60 degrees but it makes all the lingering ice and snow that much harder to bear. I can't wait to try out jogging stroller for uses other than getting over large snow banks.
Your doctor appointment is at the end of the month and we'll see how much you've grown. I think you've definitely slowed down on weight as your pediatrician guessed you would but you still seem long as your pants quickly turn into capris.
As Brynn approaches her first birthday I'm starting to see less baby-ness in her features. Her cheeks not quite as chubby, her cowlick in her hair covered by her ever growing locks, and her wrist rolls starting to fade. I thought I'd capture some of her little baby parts before they disappear into toddlerhood. To be fair Brynn has never really been a tiny baby tipping the scales at 9lbs at birth but she's the littlest baby I've ever had :)
Have you seen this commercial? I can't endorse Luvs as I've never used them but I think this advertisement is great. Last week marked 8 months of Brynn and my nursing relationship and I'm happy to report that despite going back to work we should definitely reach my goal of one year as long as no un-forseen circumstances come up.
Everyone has been really wonderful and supportive of my desire to nurse Brynn so thank you for that. Here a just a few tips for nursing moms and their supporters:
1. Be really supportive. Never suggest that the reason the baby is crying is because maybe something's wrong with the milk or that there isn't enough...thanks :) Be especially supportive during the first weeks when nursing is hard (and really quite painful). But once you get through this period life becomes so. much. easier. And just a tip for new moms/future moms: learn how to nurse your baby while laying down. It will change your life because there are not many activities you get to do that involve resting once baby comes along!
2. Bring the nursing mama some water and something to eat because she's really thirsty and really hungry. She's also burning 1000 calories a day...which is AMAZING!...seriously babies are like little liposuction machines.
3. Find other activities for daddy and helpers. I know it seems easier in the beginning to get others involved in feeding but the help will eventually dwindle and when dad is back at work it'll just be you and the night feedings. It's so convenient to have the milkies at the right temp and in the perfect container at 3 AM.
That's right you read that correct, 8 months, crazy. You had a big month Brynn. You are now mobile. I feel really bad for the parents of babies that start to crawl at 6 months, you gave a a few extra months of peace and we thank you for that! You had a rough week of limited napping and then you started to move. Its mostly a belly crawl right now and mostly backwards. You move the fasted towards Magnus and his toys. You also pulled yourself up on your knees in your crib so it's time to lower the mattress. Magnus has started to show more and more interest in you especially after you've eaten as he likes to help clean up anything we've missed. You are a really great eater and your little pincher grasp to pick up those little puffs is really good! You don't even let me spoon feed you and prefer to be given the spoon so you can feed yourself.
You've also really learned how to yell. I'm not sure where you learned it..maybe some baby conference call you were on...but it's loud...and it's really fake. You'll scream and then flip right over to a smile when you see we are coming.
You have really started to vocalize lots of different noises. No mama yet but I'm waiting patiently :) In the car we'll hear this tiny little voice jabber away and it's the sweetest little noise. You have also picked up on two signs, up and milk. It was just the other day you were a little fussy so I signed milk (you squeeze your hand like milking a cow) and you reacted to me. I didn't quite believe it so I did it again and you had the same reaction and sure enough you were hungry. We also work on all-done, more, mommy and dadddy. I guess it could be anytime now that you'll sign back.
You have the best belly laugh, it is so fun to laugh along with you. It amazes us how much you've learned in 8 short months.
I've wanted to take this shot since I saw this on Pinterest.com. Luckily I did not crave cereal because I think it would be hard to get a baby to sit in a bowl! I also didn't crave anything weird like the commonly quoted pickles and ice cream. But I did crave citrus from about 15 to 24ish weeks. Mostly oranges, orange juice or clementines but any citrus would do. Some days my fingers would turn white from all the citric acid from peeling so many! Now when the girls I work with see me with an orange they always give me a hard time and ask "when I'm due".
Today it's been 4 months since I returned to work, meaning I've been working now as long as my maternity leave. There is no question my life as a working mama has gone by much faster than my life on leave but we've all adjusted well. I soak Brynn up on the weekend and leave work as soon as I can to spend my time with her in the evenings. I go into work at 7 most days and leave by 330 with the occasionally later day. I dread having to stay at work until 5 as it feels like all I get to do with Brynn is feed her and then put her to bed. I also work at once home every other week just so I can get an extra nursing session in as I know before I know it our nursing relationship will come to a close.
When I first went back to work I rushed home (mostly because she was fighting the bottle) but now I'll stop at Target or run another errand because the last thing I want to to when I get home is pack her up and drive somewhere.
Our nanny has been so wonderful to us. Brynn really enjoys her and it's been so nice that she has yet to get sick. The days I've worked at home have been a nice way to overhear how she interacts with Brynn and she is really great. She is also the best at getting her to take long naps!!
Grandma and Grandpa Vold love on baby every Tuesday and daddy still covers "Brynn's favorite day"/Fridays (according to daddy). And the few times we've been without care have been covered by Grandpa and Grandma Palmer. I've actually only had to take one day off to watch her since returning to work! But I do have 6 1/2 weeks of vaca this year so I plan on taking off lots of Friday's this summer to hang with my fam.
The picture below is a text I sent to Kyle after Brynn and I had woken up from a long nap on a Saturday afternoon. It's amazing how full of love you feel when you have a happy healthy baby and a loving partner to raise them with. This is the life.
OK only kind of wordless. I was home earlier enough yesterday to grab a few pics with enough daylight and this shot (minus the words obviously) is straight out of the camera. I'm biased but those eyes get me every time.
We're 6 weeks into the whole solids gig and its been fun.. messy... messy fun. Brynn's added quinoa, puffs, zucchini, apricot applesauce and cooked apples to the list. She has really enjoyed yams lately the first time she didn't seem to care for them but it's been full speed ahead since. She even used some as a hair mask apparently this is some ancient baby secret. And just so you know the old saying is true "what goes in must come out.. looking exactly the same".
The whole process of baby led solids/baby led weaning has been really good for us too. It forces us to have healthy things in the house and cook them fresh. Not that we still don't pick up Black Sheep Pizza every once in a while. When we do Brynn gets some oatmeal and applesauce. She doesn't seem to mind yet but I know there will come a day when she has to have what we are eating!
We spent a nice long weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Palmer up on the north shore. Here's the recap:
The good:
Grandpa and Kyle went skiing and had great snow on Friday.
Mom took a long jacuzzi bath and got a hot stone massage while Grandma watched Brynn.
Brynn went sledding for the first time. And by sledding I mean being slowly pulled on level surfaces covered in snow. Maybe you'll get a hill next year sweet baby.. maybe.
Mom and dad ate dinner... alone.
The bad:
Gophers lost to Wisconsin by one point. :(
The Ugly:
Driving up to Lutsen during Brynn's bed time. Girlfriend likes her milk, a cuddle and a bed and she made this known. Note to self: don't do that again.
When we arrived home I started my first of probably 3 loads of laundry...only to come down to a soaking wet rug and a broken machine. Needless to say the laundry is piling up and Brynn is on her last pair of pjs. Luckily dad installed the new washer yesterday.
We're on the move! Literally and virtually :) While the big physical move to the new house is a week or two away (Brynn is always on the move!) this blog is moving to a new space.
