Tasty!

Lily has been fixated on food. We cannot eat a thing without her laser guided stare or chubby little fingers reaching for food.

Time to step up our exploration? We think so.

Todays food adventure: cucumber!

It took Lily a moment to explore, but after a few minutes she dove right in. She would watch as I snacked on slices and got very excited when I handed one to her. Granted, not a lot actually made it in her mouth, but that's not what it's about! She's all about the discovery.

Next up? Carrots (steamed) and avocado!

Not so Superbowl...

Lily was thoroughly unimpressed. She slept for awhile through quite a commotion!

However, she did try her first solid food!
A little celery to him on during the game. First food at the Superbowl... Pretty fitting!

'Mama'

As I mentioned before, Lily loves to mimic sounds and facial expressions. She watches you so fiercely and you can just see her piece it together, coordinating her lips and tongue to blow a raspberry back at you. It's amazing to watch.

Last week she was in her high chair making a ruckus. If she starts making a consistent noise we'll repeat it back and use words with that sound, etc. To my pleasant surprise ma-ma-ma-ma was the sound of the day! I have this adorable video from that night! At the time she was just exploring sound and not making any associations.

Today I was home a bit early and needed to make a call for work. She was quietly playing in her crib while I stepped into the dining room. A few minutes later she starts to fuss and before I can wrap up what I'm doing, she cries. How did this cry start? "Maaaaaamaaaa" you bet your sweet tush I hauled it to her room.

That's right, baby girl! Mama's here!

Smiles

I took these photos a couple weeks ago and love them. They are my desktop background and the photos I show off when asked about Lily. Yes, she really is that happy 90% of the time!

5 Months

I've been meaning to post this for over a week and I've just found a moment to do so!

Lily is 5 months old now and the time had just flown by. We are establishing a pretty good daily routine and each day is a tiny but less chaos than the one before it. While she isn't sleeping well during the day, daycare is going wonderfully. She loves watching the kids (hence the not sleeping!) and playing with her toys. The providers already tell us how much they'll miss her over the weekend. We made the right choice and we feel so good about it.

Developmentally, of course, Lily is a genius. Doesn't every mom think so?? She's doing very well and I can already see she's learning at daycare. Lily is making tons of sounds... ma-ma, ba-ba, blowing raspberries, motorboat lips, singing-cant think of what else to call it, squeals, and my favorite - her laugh. The real giggles and the fake laugh she does. If she wants attention and you're not giving it to her, she'll squawk at you!

Lily loves her jumperoo. She gets in that thing and jumps like a maniac. Not always the most convenient thing for a baby that still spits up quite a bit, btw. She sings and laughs for up to 45 minutes. People, I was able to paint my nails while I was home alone. Yes, gasping was the appropriate response. Jumperoo, FTW!

At daycare they have an exersaucer. While I haven't seen it yet, I guess she's motoring around pretty good! But, only backwards. It's those strong jumping legs that propel her back!

A couple weeks ago Lily rolled over (tummy to back). I am thrilled to have gotten this on video. We didn't do it for a couple days and I feared she had forgotten how, but she's back to doing it again. "You mean this gets me out of the dreaded tummy time?? Hell yeah!" Tummy time is going better. She'll do almost 10minutes before she starts to protest. She's starting to spin as she tries to figure out her hands and legs. She's sooo very close to rolling from back to front. It's the silly lower arm that's always in the way!

She's grasping toys, putting absolutely everything in her mouth, and her recent favorite... Chucking things out of her high chair or car seat, exersaucer, jumperoo...

Lily absolutely loves our phones. She grab for them, hitting the screen, and she'll snuggle in for a good slides show of photos of herself! The phone is beat out only by books and her dogs. She's started reaching for them, grabbing at their faces and ears, and they love it. Lacey will hit the floor, roll on her back, and stare at Lily while she does tummy time. They're going to be best friends.

Lily loves her daddy to pieces. She can't take her eyes off of him when he's in the room. She'll hear him while she's nursing and stop to find where he is. He'll dance and sing for her and she just giggles at his silliness. It's such a blessing to watch their relationship grow.

In just a couple weeks we are going to be starting real food! We are considering Baby Led Weaning(Feeding). I would love to hear any experience/resources you may have!

I am perhaps the luckiest Mama in all of the world. My girl is smart, sweet, so happy, and simply beautiful. I didn't think I could ever love to this capacity. Boy am I happy to be wrong.

I love you, Lily Bean.

Finally.

After 5 months to the day, I have finally experienced that blissful moment that you always find pictured in an article about breastfeeding.

It was 7:00 a.m. and Lily and I were getting up for the day. She was all smiles and not at all demanding of her breakfast. We were chatting with her daddy and kissing her sweet cheeks before we settled in to the glider in her nursery. She snuggled in and latched on without much interference from me and got right down to business.

Like a pro, I could barely feel Lily at all. She's gotten good at this, I thought. Not a moment later, she started sighing. I tilted my head so that she and I could see eye to eye. It was only a month or so ago that she even noticed I was up there while she was eating. We locked eyes and she smiled. It was a brief moment, one that she ended by reaching up, touching my face, and returning to the task at hand.

It was effortless, we connected, and I choked back a tear. This is what I fought all those weeks for. That one moment. I hope to never forget it.

This time is ours. It's private and only for us. It's part of our bond. Our foundation together. Part of what makes us, us. For only she and I truly know what it took for us to find this place.

Pregnancy MUSTs

Now that my pregnancy is a few months in the rear-view mirror, it is a fantastic experience to think back and remember it fondly. There are even days now that I miss my big ol' belly (my belly now is of an entirely different, not so fabulous, kind). Yes, my pregnancy had its tribulations - the bleeding scare, pneumonia, a displaced rib, hip pain... you know, fun stuff. But overall it was a very happy time for me. I felt prepared, at peace, and calm. Like I was finally on the right track.

There were a couple of things I did (and one or two I didn't and wish I did) that I feel really worked well for us. And now we are blessed with a few friends that are expecting little people and I am simply GIDDY to be able to share my own mommy-wisdom with someone else. After all this time, it's a bit of a trip actually.

On with the list!

1. A mom friend. People, I am all for being an independent woman. I like to program my own damn electronics, thankyouverymuch. However, I think women in general have done themselves a real disservice, at least I did, by not spending more time building their village. The old adage that "It takes a village to raise a child" could not be more true. You need a confidant. A mommy who's been there and done that. No, your experience will NOT be like hers, good or bad, count on that now. Don't use her experience to establish expectations, but use her instead as a sympathetic ear, an expert on what baby gear is a must and whats overpriced garbage, and you'll certainly want a cheerleader in those last couple of hard weeks. Don't even get me started on how invaluable these people are after your wee-one arrives, that's an item for a whole different list. And for God sake, stop feeling like a burden! I love sharing my experiences when I can and to do that AND help a friend? I wouldn't think twice. Plus, if you're bugging me, I won't hesitate to tell you you're being a crazycakes. 

2. A body pillow. Remember Tony Danza? Admittedly, J was not the biggest fan of sharing his bed with my new love. But Tony literally saved my ass. Well, technically my hips and back, but you get the idea. Things, they are a changin' and that especially applied to my joints. Having a plush, supportive pillow (I swear by my Snoogle.) was key. There are others out there that aren't as plush, so if that floats your boat, have at it. Also, washing the cover for my Snoogle was a royal pain in my previously-achy backside. It's worth it, but you've been warned. Also, they can be a bit pricey. Check for sales and coupons!

3. A photographer. There will be a day, sometime in your mid-30ish-weeks that you start to feel like a blimp. Pregnancy is beautiful and growing a child is a miracle topped by nothing else, but damn you won't feel as 'glowy' as everyone says you look. Take at least one day in the beginning of your third trimester, erase that mess from your mind, and have your picture taken. Can't afford it? Check Craigs.list or something similar for a student looking to build their portfolio, or have a friend that just got a new shiny DSLR for Christmas take pictures of you and your partner. The day before I had mine taken, I almost backed out. I cried, felt ginormous, and almost cancelled my pre-paid session. Can I tell you that I am SO happy I didn't? I will forever treasure these:

4. Maternity wardrobe staples. At least one cozy dress, yoga pants, and a bra to sleep in. I just passed my long cotton beautiful dress down to own of my best pals and my yoga pants? You bet your sweet ass I still wear those once a week. Ooooh yeah. Their the best. And there will more than likely be a point at which your boobs are tender and angry. That point for me was conception through sometime a couple months ago. A good sports bra or sleeping bra is a life saver.

5. A Doula. If you can afford this type of support, I highly recommend it. Our doula happens to be my very best pal. They are trained, educated, and handy as all hell. Mine did personal childbirth education classes in our home, answered my thousand questions a day, and was there during about 45 of my 53 hours of labor. If your husband is anything like mine (i.e. not a huge fan of discussing vaginas, and its various functions during labor, with an entire group of strangers, home childbirth education was awesome.) She helped us through all of the decisions we had to make. She didn't make them for us, or pressure us one way or the other, but she was an incredible source of knowledge as we talked through pros-cons, etc.This should be right up there with a good mom friend. It can change your life. (Doula Match)

6. A good chiropractor/masseuse. Speaking of life changing! Remember that displaced rib I was talking about? My chiropractor specializes in treating pregnant women and babies - he saved my damn life. Thankfully chiropractic treatments are covered by my insurance, so regular visits kept me much more comfortable. Especially toward the end. Your body is actually a professional contortionist, whether you knew it or not. You'd think your joints loosening and getting more flexible would feel good - but it doesn't. Nope! Not to mention, especially toward the end, you'll be carrying more weight than you're used to, your gait changes, etc, etc, etc. If your insurance covers this, take advantage!

lastly....

7. A journal. Pregnancy is filled with highs and lows. For me, this outlet with priceless. Wax eloquent about your pregnancy, your relationships.. make lists, check off names, write down questions for your next doctor/midwife appointment. Get that stuff out of your head. This really helped me sleep at night. Mostly, it helped me keep the peace. When I got all of the STUFF out of my head, I could focus on quality time with my husband, and more communication with my baby. I would talk to her (out loud and in my mind), rub my belly, day dream... without all of my worries or to-do's floating around messing it up. A huge bonus is that it is really fun to look back at.

I am certain there are many more things out there that can help someone through pregnancy. These happen to be my MUSTs. What were yours? What was it that you couldn't have survived without? A steady diet of ice cream? That probably should have been my #8... Let's hear it!

Labor and Newborn lists to follow soon!