baby

Dear Autumn @ 6 Months

May 21, 2014

May 2014

Dear Autumn,

You came into this world 6 months ago. A whole half of year. In the grand scheme of things it’s a relatively short period of time but still can’t believe it has already been 6 months. I know our lives before you were pretty different but it really seems you have been here forever because I can’t imagine you not here either.

While I would love to be able to just stay late at work or go out to dinner with dad without having to juggle so much like daycare pick up, pumping, your feeding/nap schedule, etc I would not have it any other way. Yes, there are sacrifices here and there but I would trade everything in the world for your health and happiness.

And boy, are you happy! You are such a happy baby with a smile on your face most of the time. Giggles are still an occasional occurrence but dad can really get you to really crack up. You like my crazy dancing and off key singing, so you a smile is glued to your face when we hop around singing. Sometimes you join in and screech to add to the fun.

You have a lot of fun at dinner time too. You have been eating more and more and have been trying new foods as well. You started with campari tomatoes and have now added watermellon, apples, peaches, pears, sweet potatoes, and mango to your favorite foods. You love mango so much. I swear you could eat it every day. Oh wait, you basically do.

While you have been eager to try new foods you are still our little bean. So little! You’re 6 months but can still fit into a lot of the 0-3 month stuff you have. Dad took you to the Dr for your 6 month check up (5/19) and you measured 25″ inches long and 12lbs 11.5 oz, meaning you are still under 5th percentile. But you still have the most delicious leg rolls. I can’t resist nibbling on them, which you think is pretty funny.

You have graduated from the bassinet to your crib in your room. Some nights you sleep right through to morning (4.30ish- ugh!) but there are other nights where you just can’t get settled in are up often and need some extra cuddles so you come into bed with us. I love snuggling up to you as you settle in between us and get back to sleep. You still wake up pretty upset but there have been a few times when you have woken up and not started screaming so I’m hoping you do grow out of the crying wake up soon.

I’m looking forward to the next month as you are growing like a weed and I love to see how much you learn, discover, and fall in love with. I’m guessing that you are sitting up and are mush more talkative and giggly. We’ll just have to wait and see what June brings.

Love,

Mom

My First Mother’s Day

May 14, 2014

mom. ma. mama. mommy.

Autumn hasn’t yet figured out how to say those things but she knows me.

She knows I am her mom.

She lights up when I come into a room. She smiles and twirls her arms about when I pick her up from daycare. She laughs at my silly dancing, my off key singing of “Down by the Bay”, and my floppy hair that bounces around when I dance us around to “Happy” by Pharrell.

I’ll never forget the moment I found out I was pregnant. Everything spun around in an amazing life changing way. I was nervous, happy, scared, and excited. Oh, I couldn’t think for the rest of the day.

And then the moment that Autumn was born was nerve-wracking, filled with joy, scary, and exciting. Again, everything spun around in an amazing life changing way.

She is the best thing to ever happen to me.

I’m constantly thinking of her. If not about something in the moment, then it’s about her future. “What will fill you with joy?” “Where will you grow up?” “How can I teach you the big life lessons?”

I realize that we are both figuring our roles out. I am your mom. You are my daughter. We will help guide each other through the times when things get tough, when things are rough around the edges, so that we can come out on the other side and forge a strong relationship with each other that is based on love, respect, and happiness.

I love my little girl to the moon and back. To the deepest part of the oceans. It is an endless love that makes me cuddle for an extra minute, to give extra kisses, to whisper longer whispers. Her sweet open mouth kisses, light laughs, and loud babbling make everything I do for her worth all the sleepless nights, frazzled nerves, and vast amounts of hair loss. For all of those things are temporary, but being her mother is forever.

Dear Autumn @ 5 months

April 21, 2014

April 2014

Dear Autumn-

This past month has been amazing. I can’t get over that you are 5 months old now but this past month has been incredible itself.

It seems that your development has been on some warp speed track. You are getting close to being able to sit up on your own. You are getting more interested in food. You now are so interested in things that you really put effort into getting it. Oh man, you reach with all your might! You now find the dog to be hilarious, especially when he licks your face. And the babbling now has some clarity.

You have always been a joy to be around but your amusement and responses to our goofiness to get you to smile has made all that silly effort so worth it. You make my goofy dancing to “Happy” seem like the best thing ever. It’s the best to see you gummy mouth crack a huge smile. You do laugh now but not often, just lots of endless smiles.

While you are the happiest baby ever you do get really frustrated really easily. When playing around with your blankets you’ll shove it into your mouth and bite down on it with all your might while grunting like mad. I don’t know what is going on in your head at the point but you are mad at something and are quite good at showing it. Should be interesting how you express your feelings as you continue to grow.

Your sleep has been all over the place. Some nights you are amazing letting us sleep through the night right along with you. And well other nights… ugh! You sleep in our bed more often than not some nights. At least we are constantly working on trying to get you to bed quickly and soundly, and your sleep transitions back on track. A for effort, right?

Right now you are sick, maybe just sickish, but you take it like a champ. We feel so bad for your runny nose and goopy eye. We finally got your right eye all cleared up but now your left one is getting goopy again. Feels like a little defeat but at least your left eye is not as bad as how your right eye was.

Sometimes your drooling is out of control. It will drip all over you and us. Maybe you’ll start teething soon, or you’ll just be drool all over us until the end of time. ha! I don’t think the dog minds. I think he licks your face so much so that he can help clean up your face. We tell him ‘no!’ but he still gives you ‘kisses’, at least it’s better than him stealing your socks. He eats so many I am going to have to get some more soon.

We are looking forward to you beginning to explore and eat solids. So far you loved the campari tomato we gave you, but the grape tomato was gross. The strawberry was gross as well but the asparagus was great. I think we will try avocado and mango soon. So much fun to see your fist grip on the food as you bring it to your mouth or suck or chew on it like crazy.

Be sure to keep on saying “dada” over and over again and I’m sure you will have Daddy wrapped around your slobbiery little fingers. You are such a Daddy’s Girl.

This last month was amazing so I’m looking forward to this next month. But really, it will mean you will be 6 months old and I jsut don’t know if I can handle it!!

Love,

Mom

Morning Smiles

April 14, 2014

Some mornings we have our act together and some mornings we don’t.

Thankfully we were on our A-game today so I was able to take some pictures of our super smiley Autumn as she was showing off a new outfit today. My boss gave this to me shortly after I returned to work in February so I was excited that 1) it was warm enough today for her to wear it 2) she is finally kinda, sorta is big enough for 3-6 months clothes at almost 5 months. ha!

We just love our smiley girl!

Happy Monday!

Dear Autumn @ 4 months

March 19, 2014

March 2014

Dear Autumn-

I can’t believe that you became 4 months old yesterday. I want time to stop. I want you to stay this small and cuddly. But at the same time I love seeing you learn to do something each and every day. I love the discovery of it all. It’s a tough thing to want to capture and hold on to the past and embrace the future and everything that is holds.

You’ve been doing so well this month in going to day care, sleeping longer stretches, and taking in the world around you. As well, as taking everything in arms reach into your mouth. And like last mouth, you still think the more in your mouth, the better. A thumb… nah, let’s do some fingers. Some fingers… nah, let’s try to jam the side of my fist in there. One hand… nah, let’s go for two!!

We are getting better and better at getting out of the house on time in the morning. But I still need to do a better job of making up time from leaving work early to get you. I’m thinking that I’ll clean up the den with Dad to clear up the desk so I can have a work space there to set up a laptop from work at night or on the weekends to make up time. I know things will work out over time.

You got your first cold this past month. You almost made it 3 weeks at daycare before getting sick. It was bound to happen sooner or later! Of course, I then battled being sick. And then so did Dad. Thankfully, you handled it pretty well. The biggest issue was clearing out your nose but other than that you were just really stuffy and extra cuddly at times.

You are such a happy smily baby. It’s pretty easy to get your to crack a really wide smile. You haven’t lughed yet but you are on your way. You crack up but are just silent. You laugh like a mime.

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Current Loves

getting your diaper changed: you love to just hang out in your diaper so I imagine that you are going to love the warm weather and being able to hang around in just your diaper

baths: we only do baths about once a week but you really like them.

the blow dryer: you really like getting dried off with the blow dryer after a bath. You get quite upset after it gets turned off and you get dressed again.

peek-a-boo: we do peek-a-boo when you are getting your diaper changed and you light up every time we play

Current Hates

getting the brace on: thankfully you graduated to only having to wear it 1/2 time at your last hip apointment (2/28). Hoping that you will be cleared to be done with it at your next appointment on the 28th. Fingers crossed.

your nose getting suctioned out: hard to explain to you that while you don’t like being stuffed up that the only way to fix it is by suctioning all that snot out.

getting your eye cleaned: your right eye has a clogged tear duct so it gets all goopy and gross throughout the day, especially at night when you are sleeping, so we need to clean it often and you really don’t like it. Hoping it clears up soon.

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I look forward to seeing how these things change over time as you discover and learn about more things. Maybe you’ll start to sit up soon as you are already doing a pretty good job hanging out leaning against some pillows. Maybe you’ll discover your feet soon since you have been out of the brace more and more. Maybe you’ll roll over as you have more freedom to move on your mat around without the brace weighing you down. I look forward to it all!

As well, we are getting a new car soon so that your car seat better fits in there and so that we can have enough room for stuff for our adventures and trips to see family. Speaking of family, we are going back to Greenwich to meet the rest of my side of your family. Plus mommy will be really excited to get some chocolate brioche rolls from one of her favorite bakeries back home. One day you’ll get to try them and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with them as well. But for now, how about your just stick with breast milk, okay? 🙂

I love you so much!

Love,

Mom

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2014

March 17, 2014

Autumn hopes that you had a great St. Patrick’s Day.

She enjoyed the St. Patrick’s Day outfit that GG (my mom) sent to her. It was super cute and apparently super tasty!

100 days

February 26, 2014

So yesterday I figured out Autumn would be 100 days old today. OMG

That’s what some random messing around on the internets during lunch will reveal.

So that warranted a dress and some pictures this morning.

I love this picture. I wish it wasn’t blurry. But I think that is part of why I like it.

She’s a good sport about all the pictures I take but her attention will only hold on for so long when there are ruffles.

And a shiny bow.

And done.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

This week for Pie Day Friday I’m serving up this Cutie Pie!!

This Cutie Pie is a rather sweet dish. I say if you’re going to indulge on something sweet then you should just go all out.

And I think that you need something super sweet and adorable on Valentine’s Day. It’s a day to shower your favorite people in the world with extra love.

Cutie Pie

Makes 2 servings (for mommy and daddy)

Ingredients

1 Super Adorable Baby
lots of Squishable Hugs
tons of Sloppy Kisses
endless Snuggles
infinite Love

Process

Combine all of the ingredients and enjoy!

The “I just ate 5oz and I’m in a food coma” look

The new routine

February 12, 2014

So I went back to work on Monday.

It honestly was not as bad as I thought it might be. Mainly because Autumn was asleep when we were dropping her off. She fell alseep in Price’s arms in our minute walk from our house to the house around the block where she attends a family daycare. So we just transfered our sleepy Bean and there were no tears from her or me.

Well, Tuesday and today were no different since she would typically go down for a nap about 1 1/2- 2 hours after getting up and since she is now getting up at 6 instead of 7.30 when we drop her off she is conked out.

We tucked her into her crib yesterday and today since we had a bit more time as we were a bit more organized. Things just keep getting better. 🙂

Our mornings are hectic with us getting up, feeding & changing her, pumping, getting ready, getting the dog out, feeding the dog, packing up her bag and my stuff for work (dang that pump is already a pain to lug around!), getting out the door to drop her off, and then catching the bus to get on the train to get to work. But really all the extra work involved with our darling Bean is so worth it.

And while I wish I could snuggle with The Bean all day, at least I get some good snuggles in at night. 🙂

Tuesday night snuggles

Life with a Baby: Baby Favorites @ 2 Months

January 29, 2014

I can’t believe that Autumn is already 2 1/2 months old. And that I have to go back to work in 2 weeks. Crazy!! How has time flown by so quickly?!?

Every day I am in awe of how much she has grown. She is so active and is getting to be so verbal as she babbles. She really likes to chat with Dad and they go back and forth chatting a bit. Adorable!! As well she so happy and smiling more and more. I just love it!

Anyway, without further ado, here are my favorite baby related things at this current stage!

Baby Favorites @ 2 months

Carter’s Swaddle Blankets

While I loved the SwaddleMe’s that I wrote about before, we had to change up how we swaddle Autumn because of her hip brace. My mom had sent these at Christmas and they were great to use while cuddling with her or tucking her in when we put her down to sleep. And then… it was hip brace time! So we could no longer use the SwaddleMe’s because she couldn’t fit into the bottom portion wearing the brace. These swaddle blankets from Carter’s are perfect because of their size and how stretchy they are. I highly recommend these for anyone to use, hip brace or not!

MYLICON Infant Gas Drops

Autumn has always been very difficult to burp. The NICU nurses even noted this during her week there. It looks like we are beating her trying to get a burp out of her as we have to be pretty agressive to knock it out of her. And then when she got the hip brace things got even worse as it limited how well we could ‘swoop’ our hands over her back to help work a burp up. So I grabbed a box of MYLICON drops and presto… burps! BIG HUGE BURPS!! I know it doesn’t work for every infant but if you are having some burping or gas issues I suggest you give it a try (with your pediatricians approval first, of course).

Comfort & Harmony Cradling Bouncer- Cozy Kingdom

My sister gave this to us at our baby shower. It has been great to put Autumn in when I need to pump or have to sneak in a shower when she is awake. In the beginning it was great that it was just a safe place for her to sit but now she likes the vibration and music it plays. She swats at the lion and elephant and enjoys hanging out in there while I pump.

The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep: Simple Solutions for Kids from Birth to 5 Years

A friend suggested this book because she was having great success with it with her own daughter who is just a bit older than Autumn. I immediately bought it and flew through reading it. It was really helpful to go through and identify things that were helping and preventing Autumn from sleeping well. Thankfully, she was always a good sleeper so there wasn’t too much to change. But it did help change things up with how I let her sleep and feed her during the day. Those changes have helped her put on more weight and have stretched out her sleeping from 3 hour blocks to 4 to 4.5 hour blocks. yippee!!

Philips Avent Soothie Pacifier, 0-3 Months

When Autumn was in the NICU she was given the hospital version of the Soothie Pacifier. Some parents don’t like their child having a pacifier but we didn’t mind since we figure it’s easier to break that habit than having her suck her thumb since we can actually remove the pacifier… ha! As well, it was helpful to have her have the pacifier to help her develop/enforce sucking as she was not fed for several days because of her surgery. Anyway, she gets a pacifier only when she is really, really struggling to relax and since these help with that we are a big fan.

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I’ll do a Favorites post every month as Autumn grows, changes, and develops.

What are some of your favorite things for 2 month olds?

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Dear Autumn @ 1 month-

December 18, 2013

December 2013

Dear Autumn-

You are 1 month old today. I still can’t believe you are here, let alone you’ve been here for a month. The month has just flown by.

I look at you and I am overcome with happiness. It’s a joy that comes from you making me a mom, a moment I’ll never forget. Your dad announced to me that you were a girl and right then we knew our little Autumn Olivia had arrived. This was a moment we happily waited for as it would change our lives in the most amazing ways.

When we found out you had an omphalocele it was like a punch to the gut. It was impossible to think of you being sick and having to struggle when you were first born. We just had to take things one day at a time learning more and more about what was going as you grew inside of me. Thankfully, as time went on we learned that you were healthy and that you would just need to face one surgery to correct the omphalocele. Still, that just seemed impossible to me. How could you just be born and need surgery so soon after? But that is what we were facing so we just trudged on waiting for the day to meet you and figure out more about the omphalocele.

Thankfully, when you arrived the Dr’s said the surgery was going to be ‘a piece of cake’ and you would do really well because you were so healthy. Every day when you were in the NICU you would reach another milestone and amaze us. You really shocked us as we were able to take you home just 7 days after you were born, instead of the month that we were warned about. So incredible!

And since then you have been delighting us with your growth, healthy appetite, strength, and beauty. You have been steadily been putting on weight (7 lbs 0oz at this mornings appointment!), much to my delight since it makes all the work related to pumping all worth it. You have been eating more and more each week and are now around 3- 3 1/2 ounces each feeding. Oh man, you can be so hard to burp though! Your dad will have better luck getting you to burp at times. We are just happy to see that your cheeks and belly are filling out. Oh those cheeks, I just love to kiss them. And every now and then I love to sneak a kiss on your mouth which you open in response.

You definitely have my mouth, ears, and toes. While you have your daddy’s eyes, long lashes, and chin. We love your brown hair and how soft it is. We are hoping that it will grow in with a bit of a wave like your dad’s when his hair is long. We shall just have to wait and see that, as well as what color your eyes end up being as they are a striking dark blue now with a lighter blue ring right around your pupil.

You don’t really like tummy time but do well with holding your head up when we have you perched up on our chests and shoulder. You have become more and more observant to the world around you as you look around at Kemper or family who has visited. You’ve had some fussy days and nights but for the most part are pretty mellow. But when you are unhappy or hungry you really do let us know. You will wail and wail until the bottle is in your mouth and then, just like that, are happily gobbling it down. You actually do more yelling at us than crying, as you scream ‘ahhh’ vs ‘wahh’. You are a noisy sleeper and eater as you grunt and click all the time. Daddy jokes that you sound like a dolphin.

This month has been filled with so much joy that we can’t wait to see what the next month brings as you grow bigger and bigger each day and develop into a beautiful little girl.

I love you so much.

Love,

Mom

What to pack in your hospital bag

December 16, 2013

So I approached my hospital bag how I approach packing in general…

wait until the last minute and if I forget something it’s no big deal since I can improvise, wear something again, or buy it nearby (unless on a cruise).

Thankfully, this approach worked pretty well and I used most everything I packed and didn’t need to have Price run out for much.

I had a scheduled C-section so I had to consider some things prior to heading off to the hospital, such as what clothes would be most comfortable to wear related to the incision and how long I would be staying. As you are in the hospital longer for a C-section than for a vaginal birth, so you might want some additional things as you are away from home longer. So here is my ultimate list of what to bring to the hospital bag.

What to pack in your hospital bag

Clothes

Loose yoga/pajama pants- you’ll want pants that are comfy and breathable. In terms of a C-section, you’ll want pants that will sit at your waist, not at your hips (where your incision is), and I suggest pants with a drawstring so there is some adjust-ability
Shirts (tanks, t-shirts, long sleeve, button downs)- bring some soft maternity tops with you
A sweater/sweatshirt that buttons up or zips up
An outfit to go home in!
Underwear- You’ll want underwear that is very loose, like 2 sizes bigger! And if you are having a C-section you’ll want a high-waisted underwear. BUT if you don’t bring underwear you won’t be S.O.L since the hospital will have underwear you can use (which I actually really liked because it was meshy, soft, and disposable.)
Nursing Bra- at the very least bring a sports bra that is VERY LOOSE since you don’t want to wear a bra with underwire.
Socks
Slippers
Flip Flops- I didn’t bring them, nor do I think I was missing out, but you might like them instead of slippers or to use in the shower
Robe- I suggest having one with pockets

Toiletries

Tooth brush, toothpaste, floss
Hair brush and hair elastics
Blow Dryer
Shampoo and conditioner
Dry Shampoo- for when you want to fluff your hair a bit before you get around to taking a shower. I suggest one that is unscented/minimally scented. If worse comes to worse baby powder can help rid your hair of extra oils.
Body wash/soap
Body lotion- use something that is unscented as you don’t want anything to intense right around your newborn. (Our baby was in the NICU and this was a specific note posted around the NICU)
Chapstick
Face wash
Face wipes- for a quick refresher when you don’t feel like washing your face
Face lotion
Make Up
Glasses/contacts and contact solution- if you use them

Electronics

Camera with charger and extra SD card(s)
Phone with charger
Video camera with charger
Laptop with charger

Nursing

A hands-free pumping bra- this is great to have if you think you will pump so you don’t have to hold the connectors the whole time you are pumping
Lanolin- the hospital will have this but I don’t think you can go wrong having it yourself
Nipple cream/butter
Nursing pads- not so much because you’ll be leaking (hardly!), but just to help protect your new nursing bra from getting stained from nipple cream

Extras

Your pillow
A big huge water bottle- makes staying hydrated easier than sipping on cup after cup of water.
Baby book
Journal/notebook- great for taking notes since there is so much going on that you’ll easily forget who you spoke with and about what as soon as they leave the room. ha!
Extra shopping bags- you’ll leave with plenty of goodies from the hospital (bulbs, bottles, lotion, diapers, etc) so it’s best to bring some extra bags to easily carry it all home

For the baby

A going home outfit- (in both newborn and 0-3, depends on the size of your baby)
Receiving/swaddling blankets
Car seat

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We knew that Autumn would be in the NICU and not being going home when I was so that impacted some of the things I packed, like I didn’t pack a going home outfit. Similarly, you can adjust what you pack based upon the time of year you have your baby or what you see around the hospital during your tour.

The one thing that I suggest you don’t bring is a breast pump. Sure, you see pumps at Target but you don’t need one before you go to the hospital since they have them there. As well, you should discuss with your doctor about getting a prescription for a pump so that your insurance covers it.

The biggest thing is that you can’t go wrong if you over pack or even forget something. The hospital where I had Autumn even had a vending machine of nursing/pumping supplies. So don’t sweat it and just enjoy your new baby!!!