Solids and such . . .

It has been awhile since I've posted.  Well, whaddaya expect?!  I DO have a 5 month old now, ya know.   

This week I have been a domestic goddess!  Steven and I had a couple of talks about being more considerate of each other.  I am not a naturally considerate person - some call it ditzy, some call it self-absorbed - so this week I have been trying to think before any action (or inaction), "What would make Steven's life easier and better?"  It seems he has been doing the same, and so, it is pleasant here at the Charles' household. 

Anyways, I tend to NEVER eat at home.  I eat practically every single meal in my car.  This is inexpensive and unhealthy and anti-social, and I don't like anything about it except for the convenience.  There is a website called savingdinner.com, and you can sign up for some free menus (this involves a menu for 6 days of dinner, recipes, and a shopping list categorized by food types).  It even suggests sides for the dishes.  I learned that I actually like cooking when I have everything I need there and I don't have to wait until I'm starving to find something to eat.

I've also started feeding Davie solids this past week.  We started with rice cereal.  Then a couple of days ago, I pureed some bananas and mixed it with some of her formula.  She loves it.  I filled some ice cube trays with the rest, so we have it ready to heat and eat.  Almost as easy as jarred food, only CHEAPER!  

Okay, but you don't have to YELL.

Davie has learned to yell.  Not scream, not squeal, not cry - yell.  It is nuts because I can't tell if she's happy or mad, she's just yelling.  She did this for over an hour this evening.  I think she just liked the sound of it, but it sounded very determined.  

ALSO - she's had her first solid food.  Delicious rice cereal.  Mmmmmmm.  It is the funniest thing to watch her trying to maneuver her mouth around that spoon.  

Pictures will be up soon!

Was that a roll?

Yesterday Davie rolled from her belly to her back.  And for some reason, I have not tried to have her do it again.  The fact that she has been extremely fussy all day today may have something to do with it.  I hope she's not getting sick again!

Last night she woke up a whole lot (she likes to do this on the nights Steven goes out of town).  

I didn't realize how clockwork-ey she is until today when she was so thrown off.  She pretty much falls asleep every night around 6:30-7:30pm, we feed her between 9-10, and she's out until 8:00am.  The days are a little less predictable, but still we know about when she'll get sleepy.  But last night she woke up so much and finally at 6am, I gave in and changed her diaper and fed her a few ounces.  I thought maybe she would sleep later than 8am, since she had food in her tummy, and she hadn't slept as much - but no.  She was my 8:00 alarm.  The rest of the day has been insane.  She's had bouts of smiles, but mostly she's been crying if she's awake and not eating . . . or if I'm not holding her and walking around.  I hope this is just a result of her being thrown off her schedule, or maybe a tooth is coming.  

Please Lord, don't let that baby get sick again!  I don't think Steven can handle it.

4 Month Checkup

So Davie is actually 20 weeks old, so we were a little late getting to her 4 month well-baby check.  Oh well, the doc said she is doing amazing - which we already knew.  She is still a long and lean little thing.  She is 75-90th percentile for height, and 10-25th percentile for weight.  Just like her momma I suppose.  Although her head is perfectly average, and mine was perfectly huge!  Anyways, she charmed everyone with her smiles and coos . . . until the very second that needle stuck her in the leg.  No one likes to hear their baby (or any baby) cry, but it is especially heart-wrenching when it's their "I'M IN PAIN!" cry.  Awful!

I took the whole day off for the event.  It was nice to do some co-parenting with Steven.  Afterwards, we did a few errandy things and then tried to find him some new jeans.  Unsuccessful.  Then I got to get a massage!!!  $30 for 1 hour of glorious Chinese massage at "We Knead You" on Classen.  I HIGHLY recommend it.  You don't have to take your clothes off either!  A big plus.

After that, we hit Cuppies & Joe (the Diefs new coffeeshop on 23rd and Shartel - ALSO highly recommended) and saw everyone imaginable.  The lovely Taylor White, Jacquie Rodgers, and the whole Clark family, including little Myer!  He is so precious!!  Congratulations to the Clarks!

I suppose tomorrow I have to go back to school.  I know I just had Christmas break, but there is something about not being at school when you know everyone else is!

Choking/Gagging

Davie is still trying to cough up that gunk.  She seems like she feels much better today.  No big fever.  But she is hardly eating.  

ALSO - she has been coughing stuff up and gagging on it . . . too long for me not to panic.  It is the worst.  There is not a chance that I will not sleep right beside her tonight.  If she sleeps in her room, I will get up every single time she makes a noise for fear that she is choking.  

It made me spastically wonder, "What do I do if she IS choking?"  So I googled it and found some youtube videos.  How did I learn things before the internet?  

Will there ever be rest again?  I hope so.  Steven will be home in a few hours from his WAY TOO long trip.  

Looking up?

Well . . . yesterday was hard.  I hit a wall in the afternoon and just thought, "I can't do it.  I can't do another rough night."  Luckily Davie did a little better last night.  Today it seems like she's feeling a little better.  Fever is down.  Eating more at a time.  Had a 2+hour nap.  

I am still on back-beating duty with her though.  Nasty business.  I lay her face down over the humidifer and beat on her back until she coughs up mucus.  I dreaded this because she hates being on her stomach.  But she actually doesn't mind this.  I think it feels good on her, either that or she's so tired that she won't fight it.  Anyways, I have high hopes for tonight.  I hope it goes well because I go back to school tomorrow and STEVEN COMES HOME TOMORROW!!!  Yippee!!!  I miss him so much I ache.  I hate being without him.  It's kind of fun in a novel way for the first day, then I'm done and ready for him to come back and be my husband.  Davie misses him too.  I just know it.  I can't wait to see her face when she sees him.

Back to a sad thought.  I go back to school tomorrow.  I don't know how I feel about this.  I feel like I really haven't gotten to rest much over these couple of weeks, but who does on Christmas break!?  And I feel unprepared for this semester.  I worked so hard over the summer getting ready for my maternity leave and making sure I had my plans and copies all lined out for the fall semester.  But I'm starting a new project for this spring, and I haven't thought through it enough to feel comfortable and prepared.  

I'm sure going to miss that baby tomorrow.  

Paranoid First-Time Mother or Pneumonia?!

Davie refuses to cough unless she absolutely must.  Therefore, after just one day of nasal congestion and a bit of a cough, it's all in her chest and she has this junky cough and it sounds like she swallowed a rattle.  Her fever hasn't been that high though.  Anyways, I packed us up and went to my parents house.  Good thing too, because she had a really rough night, and I would not have slept at all if my mom and dad hadn't taken the first couple of shifts.  

I want to take her to the doctor so bad, but they said they couldn't give her anything anyways.  

Stevie come back to us!

REAL Motherhood

Yesterday I felt more motherly than I have in the past 18 weeks.  I spent too much money at Target getting things that I thought might make Davie feel better.  I did a whole lot of baby holding and soothing.  We really had a lovely day together.  Girl time.  It was like when I was little and sick and stayed home from school.  Of course, you didn't feel good, but you kind of felt special there at home with your mom and/or dad.  

I put some towels under her crib mattress, and set the humidifier going with some menthol vapors.  We took a nice warm bath, had a baby massage, and drank some warm milk while I sang lullabies to her.  She fell asleep while drinking and stayed asleep over 3 hours.  I was a little bit afraid that she wouldn't sleep at all that night, so I'd try to gently rouse her, but she got sooooo mad, and fell right back asleep.  So I just let it happen.

She did well last night.  She woke up at midnight and 6:30am . . . and I think she only did that because she had rolled down her crib mattress (it was quite inclined) and was uncomfortable.  

Anyways, I would've thought it would have been very frustrating and stressful taking care of a sick baby while my husband is out of town.  But it was . . . I don't know.  I mean she is absolutely helpless at this point and she needs a mommy or a daddy to help her.  It was kind of therapeutic doing things that helped her and SEEING that they helped her.  

I love her a lot.  We miss the man in our life.

Evidence

Davie has been moaning herself to sleep.  Just plain sad.  At the end of this video, that was it, she was asleep.  

the most heartbreaking sound you've ever heard

your 4 month old with her first cough.  pathetic.  so i'm thinking davie's waning sleeping skills the past few days are from fighting an oncoming cold, which she now has.  she is officially the saddest child.  last night was awful.  steven and i went to bed early on new year's even knowing that we had a rough night ahead, and he was also leaving early the next morning around 5am to go out of town.  so we went to bed at 11pm, and she woke up every hour from then until 5am.  we finally brought her to bed with us and listened to her poor little nose trying to get some air.  she woke up coughing and breaking out hearts.  so we cleaned out her nose, tried to feed her, and put her in her swing so she could sit upright (which helped so much!!!  why didn't we think of that earlier?!)  i went back to sleep on the couch beside her until 7:30am.  

i'm not as worried about her little cold, or our lack of sleep, as her lack of food intake yesterday!  she usually has 20-25 ounces a day . . . and she had 14 (that was us forcing her to eat).  so far today she's doing better.  i called the nurse to get some tips, and she said to warm up her bottle, which seemed to work.  i'm also going to get a cool mist humidifier today.  

for the next few days i will be writing everyday, probably with very uninteresting things to most people.  but it will be steven's only way of checking in on his girls, and he told me to write everyday everything. 

poor steven, he was so sad this morning leaving the scene.  but i told him he couldn't cancel his trip just because davie has a cold.  i hope he still enjoys himself.  we love you steven.