Natali has always been quite fond of her pacifier. However, we are not those parents that let their toddler run around all the time with a pacifier in their mouth. I can't remember when we made the pacifier only at bedtime rule, but I'm pretty sure it has been over a year at least. There were exceptions of course. She always had one on an airplane and we let her have it a lot when we were in Germany. It helped make her comfortable in those different situations. For daily life though she was only allowed to have it for naps and at night. Recently however, Natali had started to wake up in the morning saying her mouth hurt. Of course the obvious culprit was the pacifier, so I decided it was time to get rid of it for good. We went to New York to visit my brother and his family early last week, so I let her have it during the trip, but when we got back I decided that was it. Darren wasn't totally on board with the idea yet, so I waited until he was gone. Then I hid all of the pacifiers in the house. That first night Natali was in her normal routine of brush teeth, get pacifier, go to bed, so there was obvious crying at first when I told her the pacifiers were all gone. That only lasted for a minute or two though and then she went right to sleep. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it would be a much bigger battle than that. Of course, she sleeps at daycare without a pacifier, so that might have helped a bit too. I thought we might also have a problem with her waking up in the middle of the night asking for it, but that didn't happen. She slept right through the night. The next night she asked for a pacifier again, but didn't protest at all when I told her they were all gone. Since then she hasn't asked again. It has been a whole week now. My little baby is growing up!
On another note, we are going to try potty training again this weekend. It has been since Thanksgiving when we tried previously. Recently Natali has started announcing every time she pees. Of course, then she asks to go potty after she has already gone in her diaper, so it really isn't helpful. I'm hoping this is a sign that she is really ready this time. We'll see how it goes.
Showing posts with label Kelli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kelli. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Our funny daughter
Natali has been climbing out of her crib for a while. Her new big girl bed is on order. In the mean time Kelli converted her crib to a toddler bed. Natali has adjusted well...but still climbs out...instead of GOING OUT OF THE HUGE OPENING...kids....they make ya laugh!
httpv://youtu.be/DHDZwCQDRSo
httpv://youtu.be/DHDZwCQDRSo
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Swimming Lessons
Natali has been taking swimming lessons once a week for the last three months. I take her to a place called Emler Swim School. They have several locations throughout the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. They are more expensive than the city lessons, but the pool is indoor, which was very important to me for several reasons. We can do lessons year-round at an indoor facility and I don't have to worry about the weather. Our first lesson was back in early June. We did a free trial lesson and Natali cried the entire time. It was pretty awful, but I signed her up anyway. Darren came to that first lesson and he was ready to pull her out of the pool in the first 5 minutes. He hasn't been back since. He didn't quite understand my need to get her in lessons at such a young age, but I think it's extremely important for her to have an appreciation for water and to know how to not drown. While we don't have a pool at home, we do travel a lot near water and 2 of my siblings have pools in their backyards. I want Natali to be able to enjoy herself in and around the water. So, after that first lesson I was more determined than ever that she would do those lessons.
Natali was in a class called "waterbabies" and the kids could be as young as 6 months old. Her class was mostly kids in the 1 to 2 age range though. The parents are all in the water with the kids and we did a lot of songs. The goals of the class were to just get the kids comfortable in the water and to be able to start moving through the water on their own, mostly by kicking, and to be able to hold on to the wall and move along the wall and even pull themselves out of the water. All of these things together would hopefully allow the kids to be more comfortable and not drown if they ever somehow fell in. Theoretically Natali could move to the wall if she fell in and at least know how to grab it and hold on so she wouldn't drown. This is something that every child should learn. By the end of the 12 week class she was supposed to be able to hold her breath underwater for 10 seconds. I was really skeptical about that last part. Our first "official" class was the next week after the trial lesson. Natali did not want to go at all and she cried for the first 5 minutes. She finally calmed down though, I think when she figured out we weren't going to leave. Of course she didn't really want to do anything during the lesson and she clung to me like it was a life or death situation, but I was just happy to have the crying stop. Progress was made!
As the lessons continued each week got a little better. Natali started to get comfortable and enjoy herself. She really liked the songs and even started singing them throughout the week when we were just around the house. The underwater part was difficult though. We started off just having her jump to me without putting her head under. Then it progressed to just putting her mouth under, and then the next week she went fully underwater for the first time for 1 second. That really shocked her, but she did it and then kept progressing from there. I didn't think it would happen, but by our last lesson on Friday she actually did go underwater for 10 full seconds and she came up smiling! I was extremely proud of the progress she had made. I have of course signed her up for the next session. I was expecting to just put her in another session of the waterbabies class, but after a lengthy discussion with her teacher we decided we will try moving her up to super waterbabies. I am very nervous about this transition because I will not be in the water with her anymore. I did get the opportunity to watch a little bit of another super waterbabies class and it made me a bit more comfortable about it. I decided to go for it. I signed her up with the same teacher so the transition will be easier. She has an excellent teacher so I'm glad she will get to stay with him. Of course, if it doesn't work out in the new class we can always step back and do the first class again, but I think it will be fine. I'm excited to see how it goes.
While I wasn't sure at the beginning of this whole thing, I am extremely happy we stuck with the lessons. It has been a fun and valuable experience and Natali is better off for having gone through it. I think the first week or two in her new class might be a bit rough, but we will get through that too and she should be able to do a whole lot more in the water by the end of it.
Natali was in a class called "waterbabies" and the kids could be as young as 6 months old. Her class was mostly kids in the 1 to 2 age range though. The parents are all in the water with the kids and we did a lot of songs. The goals of the class were to just get the kids comfortable in the water and to be able to start moving through the water on their own, mostly by kicking, and to be able to hold on to the wall and move along the wall and even pull themselves out of the water. All of these things together would hopefully allow the kids to be more comfortable and not drown if they ever somehow fell in. Theoretically Natali could move to the wall if she fell in and at least know how to grab it and hold on so she wouldn't drown. This is something that every child should learn. By the end of the 12 week class she was supposed to be able to hold her breath underwater for 10 seconds. I was really skeptical about that last part. Our first "official" class was the next week after the trial lesson. Natali did not want to go at all and she cried for the first 5 minutes. She finally calmed down though, I think when she figured out we weren't going to leave. Of course she didn't really want to do anything during the lesson and she clung to me like it was a life or death situation, but I was just happy to have the crying stop. Progress was made!
As the lessons continued each week got a little better. Natali started to get comfortable and enjoy herself. She really liked the songs and even started singing them throughout the week when we were just around the house. The underwater part was difficult though. We started off just having her jump to me without putting her head under. Then it progressed to just putting her mouth under, and then the next week she went fully underwater for the first time for 1 second. That really shocked her, but she did it and then kept progressing from there. I didn't think it would happen, but by our last lesson on Friday she actually did go underwater for 10 full seconds and she came up smiling! I was extremely proud of the progress she had made. I have of course signed her up for the next session. I was expecting to just put her in another session of the waterbabies class, but after a lengthy discussion with her teacher we decided we will try moving her up to super waterbabies. I am very nervous about this transition because I will not be in the water with her anymore. I did get the opportunity to watch a little bit of another super waterbabies class and it made me a bit more comfortable about it. I decided to go for it. I signed her up with the same teacher so the transition will be easier. She has an excellent teacher so I'm glad she will get to stay with him. Of course, if it doesn't work out in the new class we can always step back and do the first class again, but I think it will be fine. I'm excited to see how it goes.
While I wasn't sure at the beginning of this whole thing, I am extremely happy we stuck with the lessons. It has been a fun and valuable experience and Natali is better off for having gone through it. I think the first week or two in her new class might be a bit rough, but we will get through that too and she should be able to do a whole lot more in the water by the end of it.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Going retro
We took our first family road trip yesterday...and it was a marathon.
My dad lives down in Houston. Even since October 2007 Kelli and I have flown down to see him. Natali has always flown down to see him.
Most of the time we fly up and down the same day. We have stayed the night at least once.
Yesterday some friends of ours were having a birthday party for their 3 year old. They just moved to Houston from the Dallas area.
We discussed the benefits of driving vs flying. Complicating things was the fact that I had to work tonight. If we stayed the night in Houston it would be a very long day for me traveling and then working later.
The last flight back to Dallas on Saturday nights leaves at 6PM. The party started at 3PM. Not a lot of time to enjoy the party. Flying wasn't an option.
I gassed up the car Friday night. At 5:01 AM I picked Natali up out of bed, changed her diaper and put her straight into her car seat. We backed out of the driveway at 5:04AM.
We thought for sure she would sleep....nope.
Long 4 hour and 30 minute drive. Non-stop. My 2004 Prius average 47.8 MPG while driving 75 MPH (the speed limit on most of I-45). If I had gone 65 MPH I would have easily cleared 50 MPG.
Early lunch with my dad. Natali had a ton of built up energy after having being strapped in for almost 5 hours.
We left his house just after noon with the intention of driving around so Natali would nap. It kinda worked.
Natali napped for just over an hour.
At the birthday party Natali was her normal self....being super shy. It took her about 30 minutes to warm up to the people at the party.
Our friends hosting the party, Chris and Wendy, are on the shorter side, thus their son is on the shorter side. Natali is a good 3-4 inches taller than the birthday boy, Liam. Another toddler there is 2 1/2 years old and is a good 5-6 inches taller than Natali. Kinda odd seeing the oldest kid in the room being the shortest.
After Natali warmed up she had a good time.
Wendy is very detail oriented and had lots of activities for the kids. In addition to having lots of toys around they all painted boxes, made their own magnetic picture frames and of course she had cupcakes in addition to birthday cake.
We left the party at 6PM. Natali watched Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on her Ipad for most of the ride home. We thought she would fall asleep. Nah. Not until we turned the Ipad off did she finally doze off. We did get 49.5 MPG on the return trip. I attribute the high MPG due to less AC usage (the Prius uses an all electric air conditioning system) and more highway driving vs stop and go driving.
[nggallery id=57]
My dad lives down in Houston. Even since October 2007 Kelli and I have flown down to see him. Natali has always flown down to see him.
Most of the time we fly up and down the same day. We have stayed the night at least once.
Yesterday some friends of ours were having a birthday party for their 3 year old. They just moved to Houston from the Dallas area.
We discussed the benefits of driving vs flying. Complicating things was the fact that I had to work tonight. If we stayed the night in Houston it would be a very long day for me traveling and then working later.
The last flight back to Dallas on Saturday nights leaves at 6PM. The party started at 3PM. Not a lot of time to enjoy the party. Flying wasn't an option.
I gassed up the car Friday night. At 5:01 AM I picked Natali up out of bed, changed her diaper and put her straight into her car seat. We backed out of the driveway at 5:04AM.
We thought for sure she would sleep....nope.
Long 4 hour and 30 minute drive. Non-stop. My 2004 Prius average 47.8 MPG while driving 75 MPH (the speed limit on most of I-45). If I had gone 65 MPH I would have easily cleared 50 MPG.
Early lunch with my dad. Natali had a ton of built up energy after having being strapped in for almost 5 hours.
We left his house just after noon with the intention of driving around so Natali would nap. It kinda worked.
Natali napped for just over an hour.
At the birthday party Natali was her normal self....being super shy. It took her about 30 minutes to warm up to the people at the party.
Our friends hosting the party, Chris and Wendy, are on the shorter side, thus their son is on the shorter side. Natali is a good 3-4 inches taller than the birthday boy, Liam. Another toddler there is 2 1/2 years old and is a good 5-6 inches taller than Natali. Kinda odd seeing the oldest kid in the room being the shortest.
After Natali warmed up she had a good time.
Wendy is very detail oriented and had lots of activities for the kids. In addition to having lots of toys around they all painted boxes, made their own magnetic picture frames and of course she had cupcakes in addition to birthday cake.
We left the party at 6PM. Natali watched Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on her Ipad for most of the ride home. We thought she would fall asleep. Nah. Not until we turned the Ipad off did she finally doze off. We did get 49.5 MPG on the return trip. I attribute the high MPG due to less AC usage (the Prius uses an all electric air conditioning system) and more highway driving vs stop and go driving.
[nggallery id=57]
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Dentists and Potty Training
I saw a news story on the Nightly News last night about more kids getting cavities these days in their baby teeth. The story cited several reasons for this and said the key to prevention is good teeth brushing habits and visits to the dentist starting at a year old. We are very good about brushing Natali's teeth. She gets them brushed twice a day just like we brush ours. For a long time it was a big struggle with lots of crying every time, but more recently Natali has come to accept teeth brushing as part of her routine. I think it helps that she is big enough now to stand on a stool at the sink while we brush them and she likes to watch herself in the mirror. She hasn't cried during brushing for a few weeks at least. I hadn't even considered taking her to the dentist though. My pediatrician hasn't mentioned it either. After I saw that news story though, I posted a message about it on Facebook and got a lot of good responses from friends, mostly saying they started their kids going at 2 years old. Then my sister posted saying she had just taken my niece for the first time at 4 years old and she has a cavity. She wishes she had taken her earlier, so it might have been prevented. That was enough for me to hear. I have another good friend that recommended an excellent pediatric dentist so I think I'm going to call tomorrow and make Natali an appointment. She is on my dental insurance this year so there really is no reason not to do it since it's free anyway. I will post how that goes after our appointment.
In other news, Natali went to the bathroom on her potty today! It was her first time and I was so excited about it! Now Natali is only 19 months old and I am in no way trying to push potty training before she is ready. However, we have seen for a while now that she recognizes when she needs to go. It is very obvious before bath time. She will often say poo poo and hold herself then pee right in the bathtub. Thankfully its only been pee and I've never had to clean a brown tub. We have a training toilet for Natali already only because my sister and niece were at our house once during her potty training time so we went out and bought one. My sister had a terrible time potty training my niece, and she wasn't totally trained until after she was 3 years old. I know every child is different, but I have always hoped Natali would be easier to train. It turns out she may be very easy. I wasn't even going to think about toilet training until Natali turned 2, but since she seems to recognize now when she has to go I thought I'd just sit her on the toilet and get her used to it and see what happens. I tried it tonight before her bath. She sat there for a minute but didn't go, so I praised her for sitting there then just put her in the tub. Then, right before bed time we went in to brush her teeth and I just decided to try it again. I put her on the little toilet and she sat there for a minute doing nothing so I asked her if she was done. She just said "no", so I let her sit some more and about a minute later she started peeing. I was so excited! She got a lot of praise for that.
Of course, now I don't know what to do next. Do I start seriously working on potty training at home? Do I just put her on the toilet randomly and not really try too hard with it for now? If Natali were always home I may actually try a bit harder with it, but she spends 3 days a week at daycare and she isn't in a class that does potty training yet. She is absolutely not ready to move up to a bigger class, so if I work on potty training at home and then she doesn't get it at school will it somehow mess it all up? I have no idea how to proceed on this one. I guess I will have to do some reading up on the subject. If anyone reading this has any great advice or resources on potty training I will gladly accept any and all suggestions. This is completely new territory for us and we have no idea what we're doing. :)
In other news, Natali went to the bathroom on her potty today! It was her first time and I was so excited about it! Now Natali is only 19 months old and I am in no way trying to push potty training before she is ready. However, we have seen for a while now that she recognizes when she needs to go. It is very obvious before bath time. She will often say poo poo and hold herself then pee right in the bathtub. Thankfully its only been pee and I've never had to clean a brown tub. We have a training toilet for Natali already only because my sister and niece were at our house once during her potty training time so we went out and bought one. My sister had a terrible time potty training my niece, and she wasn't totally trained until after she was 3 years old. I know every child is different, but I have always hoped Natali would be easier to train. It turns out she may be very easy. I wasn't even going to think about toilet training until Natali turned 2, but since she seems to recognize now when she has to go I thought I'd just sit her on the toilet and get her used to it and see what happens. I tried it tonight before her bath. She sat there for a minute but didn't go, so I praised her for sitting there then just put her in the tub. Then, right before bed time we went in to brush her teeth and I just decided to try it again. I put her on the little toilet and she sat there for a minute doing nothing so I asked her if she was done. She just said "no", so I let her sit some more and about a minute later she started peeing. I was so excited! She got a lot of praise for that.
Of course, now I don't know what to do next. Do I start seriously working on potty training at home? Do I just put her on the toilet randomly and not really try too hard with it for now? If Natali were always home I may actually try a bit harder with it, but she spends 3 days a week at daycare and she isn't in a class that does potty training yet. She is absolutely not ready to move up to a bigger class, so if I work on potty training at home and then she doesn't get it at school will it somehow mess it all up? I have no idea how to proceed on this one. I guess I will have to do some reading up on the subject. If anyone reading this has any great advice or resources on potty training I will gladly accept any and all suggestions. This is completely new territory for us and we have no idea what we're doing. :)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
A 2nd child?
Darren says all the time that Natali will be our only child. He seems pretty adamant about it, but I remember once upon a time he was adamant that we weren't having any children at all. Look how that turned out? It took us 3 years and a couple of miscarriages to get Natali, and I am so happy that we didn't give up. Natali is such a good kid. We are very lucky to have her. When we first had her I was totally on board with having just 1 child, but as she gets older my mind has started to change. I really would like to have 1 more. That being said, I definitely want to wait until Natali is older. I have thought about it and I think the ideal time would be sometime in 2014. Of course, then I consider our finances and how much even part-time daycare costs and wonder how other families manage. We make a very comfortable living right now and adding another daycare payment plus baby expenses would push it a bit. I really don't think we would seriously consider it unless Darren were already a captain with a much larger salary, but that could change too. All of this would of course be dependent on Darren changing his mind. If he doesn't then Natali will be an only child and I will be fine with that too. I am happy just to have her. It's not an issue I will push too hard on because I would hate for Darren to just give in and not really want it. He is aware of my feelings on this matter, so we will just wait and see what happens down the road. I do remember how much I hated being pregnant, but Natali was absolutely worth every uncomfortable minute of my pregnancy. I think any other child we have would be just as great. I have 3 siblings and am constantly reminded about how glad I am to have them all in my life. I would like Natali to have that experience too. However, if she is an only child I am comforted by the fact that she has such wonderful cousins that we are able to see on a regular basis. Hopefully they will continue to be close as they age.
On another note, Natali had her 18 month check up yesterday. She is 25.6 pounds and 33.5 inches. I have been comparing her stats from this check up and her 15 month one to my stats at the same ages and they are almost exactly the same. I find it interesting that for now she seems to be on track to be exactly my height when she grows up. I am 5'3". We'll see if she continues on the same track or maybe gets a bit taller than me. I will be totally happy if she is at least my height. Any shorter is too short. :)
On another note, Natali had her 18 month check up yesterday. She is 25.6 pounds and 33.5 inches. I have been comparing her stats from this check up and her 15 month one to my stats at the same ages and they are almost exactly the same. I find it interesting that for now she seems to be on track to be exactly my height when she grows up. I am 5'3". We'll see if she continues on the same track or maybe gets a bit taller than me. I will be totally happy if she is at least my height. Any shorter is too short. :)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Talking on the Remote
Natali has been "talking" on the phone a lot today. For a good 5 minutes she picked up her baby monitor, put it to her ear and walked around talking to it.
Tonight she picked up her Roku remote and talked for 10 minutes. This video picked up the end of it.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIvwXx73jto
Tonight she picked up her Roku remote and talked for 10 minutes. This video picked up the end of it.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIvwXx73jto
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Free Museum Day
Natali is sick again. She had a good run.
She's been coughing since Wednesday. Had a fever since Thursday. She's been pretty good today. She doesn't eat as much as she normally does. Hopefully tomorrow is better than today.
Bank of America has a sponsorship/deal with Museums across the United States. The first weekend of each month all Bank of America card holders get in free. Simple. Just show your card. So we did.
We went back to the Dallas Museum of Natural Science and History which includes the Children's Museum.
Natali had fun again. She really enjoyed the soft play room. After about an hour she was ready to head home.
Her speech set is getting so big we can't keep count of her solid words.
Natali tries to repeat many of the words we use. Sometimes she's close with her new words, "alright, Lets go"...but sometimes she no where close...still cute.
She has had problems using the word "more" lately. Natali uses the word "more" while signing it for way too many things. She uses "more" to say she wants something. We just don't know what she wants. Natali gets very frustrated when she can't communicate what she wants....which is good in that she learns words fast.
Hard to believe it's been 15 months since she entered our lives.
[nggallery id=41]
She's been coughing since Wednesday. Had a fever since Thursday. She's been pretty good today. She doesn't eat as much as she normally does. Hopefully tomorrow is better than today.
Bank of America has a sponsorship/deal with Museums across the United States. The first weekend of each month all Bank of America card holders get in free. Simple. Just show your card. So we did.
We went back to the Dallas Museum of Natural Science and History which includes the Children's Museum.
Natali had fun again. She really enjoyed the soft play room. After about an hour she was ready to head home.
Her speech set is getting so big we can't keep count of her solid words.
Natali tries to repeat many of the words we use. Sometimes she's close with her new words, "alright, Lets go"...but sometimes she no where close...still cute.
She has had problems using the word "more" lately. Natali uses the word "more" while signing it for way too many things. She uses "more" to say she wants something. We just don't know what she wants. Natali gets very frustrated when she can't communicate what she wants....which is good in that she learns words fast.
Hard to believe it's been 15 months since she entered our lives.
[nggallery id=41]
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Family Photos
A few photos from our first family photos. We had a GREAT photographer while we were in California. Her name is Channa Vance. If you are in need of a photographer in Sacramento I HIGHLY recommend using her. Very affordable and easy to work with.
[nggallery id=39]
[nggallery id=39]
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Weaning
Natali is a year old now. It's amazing how fast time goes. We had her 1 year check up and shots on her birthday. There were lots of shots, which sucked, but she was a trooper and got over it all really quickly. Natali is now 21.2 pounds and 29.5 inches long. Her head circumference is 18.5 inches, which from the calculator I found is the 90th percentile. I don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing or if it doesn't matter? Maybe her big head is the reason she won't walk, too much brain to hold up on 2 feet. :-)
While at the doctor's appointment we received a large packet about weaning. This is going to be a big challenge for us. We have had such a good routine going with the formula and baby food. We knew exactly when and how much to feed her and she always had a really good variety of foods. Now she is supposed to eat "table food". We have been giving her finger foods for a while now, but if we have to switch all her food to table food from pureed food it is going to be a big challenge to find a good enough variety for her. The other thing is the formula. We are supposed to switch her now to whole milk from formula and feed her from a sippy cup instead of a bottle. I have been working on this for 2 days now. I am still giving her a bottle first thing in the morning and before bed at night. Then throughout the day she gets whole milk from a sippy cup. Of course, she hasn't quite mastered the sippy cup yet so that has been yet another challenge. The milk thing has been going ok though. I think that will be the easiest part. The table food is much harder for me. I am still giving her some pureed food, because we have it, and it can be easier to get her to eat spoon food. I have been trying to find a good variety of small vegetables to give her too. She will eat veggies just fine (corn, peas, etc), but I have to give them to her first before I show her what else I have. If there is anything else on her tray with the veggies she won't eat them. She loves hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and just plain bread. She likes chicken too. I think tonight I'm going to try a turkey burger patty cut into little pieces with peas and carrots (served first of course). I am trying, but this is definitely not going to be easy for me.
In other news, Natali has figured out a few things she is absolutely not supposed to do (such as pull on the window blinds). However, she will crawl in that direction, stop, give me a big grin, and then immediately pull herself up and mess with the blinds while smiling and laughing at me. I hope it doesn't get much worse or I will be one frustrated mom.
While at the doctor's appointment we received a large packet about weaning. This is going to be a big challenge for us. We have had such a good routine going with the formula and baby food. We knew exactly when and how much to feed her and she always had a really good variety of foods. Now she is supposed to eat "table food". We have been giving her finger foods for a while now, but if we have to switch all her food to table food from pureed food it is going to be a big challenge to find a good enough variety for her. The other thing is the formula. We are supposed to switch her now to whole milk from formula and feed her from a sippy cup instead of a bottle. I have been working on this for 2 days now. I am still giving her a bottle first thing in the morning and before bed at night. Then throughout the day she gets whole milk from a sippy cup. Of course, she hasn't quite mastered the sippy cup yet so that has been yet another challenge. The milk thing has been going ok though. I think that will be the easiest part. The table food is much harder for me. I am still giving her some pureed food, because we have it, and it can be easier to get her to eat spoon food. I have been trying to find a good variety of small vegetables to give her too. She will eat veggies just fine (corn, peas, etc), but I have to give them to her first before I show her what else I have. If there is anything else on her tray with the veggies she won't eat them. She loves hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and just plain bread. She likes chicken too. I think tonight I'm going to try a turkey burger patty cut into little pieces with peas and carrots (served first of course). I am trying, but this is definitely not going to be easy for me.
In other news, Natali has figured out a few things she is absolutely not supposed to do (such as pull on the window blinds). However, she will crawl in that direction, stop, give me a big grin, and then immediately pull herself up and mess with the blinds while smiling and laughing at me. I hope it doesn't get much worse or I will be one frustrated mom.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
One year old
Today Natali is one year old. It's been an amazing year watching her grow.
As I did one year ago today, I published a video on youtube chronicling the last year of having Natali in our lives.
It hasn't been easy. Flying a plane through bad weather onto a wet runway during a thunderstorm is easier than raising a kid. That being said I am very happy Natali is in my life.
Of note, this video is not viewable on "mobile devices (Iphone, Ipad etc) as I have songs in the video in which the owners blocked being played on a mobile device. Silly I know.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8eaNP7YMjM
As I did one year ago today, I published a video on youtube chronicling the last year of having Natali in our lives.
It hasn't been easy. Flying a plane through bad weather onto a wet runway during a thunderstorm is easier than raising a kid. That being said I am very happy Natali is in my life.
Of note, this video is not viewable on "mobile devices (Iphone, Ipad etc) as I have songs in the video in which the owners blocked being played on a mobile device. Silly I know.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8eaNP7YMjM
Saturday, May 21, 2011
A long month
Darren has been gone a lot for the last month or so. Since he has to commute to work now it takes away a lot of his home time. His schedule for May has him home only Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. It's great for daycare, not great for being a family. He gets to spend 3 days a week with Natali, but I am at work most of that time, so we only get 3 evenings together a week. This past Thursday was my birthday. I thought we might do something together, but it was not to be. With the crappy weather moving in Darren had to actually head to work on Thursday night so he wouldn't get stuck due to the weather. He left for the airport about 20 minutes after I got home from work. I completely understand why he had to go, and I am not upset about it, but I was really disappointed that he had to leave. We are both having to make some sacrifices right now. I can't wait until September when he gets to quit the crappy commuting and be based back here in Dallas again.
Knowing how bad this month has been with Darren just being home weekdays I wanted him to get a different schedule for June with weekends off. Not only have we been missing time together, but Darren has been missing some fun things Natali and I have done on the weekends. We had dinner with Eric and Angela one night, we spent a long weekend in Sacramento at my sister's house, we went to San Antonio for a day visiting Darren's best friend from high school, and today we had a nice playdate with some other good friends of ours. It has been nice being able to hang out with friends because it gets lonely without Darren around, but I know Darren really would have liked to do all of those things with us, so it sucks for him too. We talked it over and decided we could manage ok if he bid for weekends off. If he did that he would always get a 3-day weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Saturday, Sunday, Monday). Then I would just have to shift my work schedule by a day to be home 1 day during the week. That way he would get weekends off, we could still do part time daycare, and we would have 1 full day each week when we are all home together for the entire day. Luckily for us Darren got a schedule for June with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off each week, so I will be working Tuesday-Saturday and stay home with Natali on Mondays, and all three of us will be home on Sundays. I am looking forward to it. Anything would be better than the crappy schedule he has this month. Of course, Darren did just inform me that he wants to trade a trip at the beginning of the month for a different trip on different days. I am very supportive of whatever he wants to do, but it does disappoint me a bit. The trip he wants to trade for would have him come home late at night on Monday the 30th, and then be gone again from Wednesday morning through Saturday. This means he would only be home 1 day during that week, which doesn't work out for daycare. Of course, the 30th is Memorial Day, a holiday for me, so it actually will be doable. It is unfortunate for me though, because I was actually scheduled to take Natali to daycare that day anyway. I was honestly really looking forward to it. I love my daughter to death and I enjoy taking care of her, but it was going to be such a nice little break for me. I had planned to drop her off and then come home and do some really good cleaning for a few hours and then go see a movie. It was a good plan. I sort of feel bad for wanting a break, but I honestly could use it. I'm not complaining or anything, but in Natali's 9 months of life I have had 2 days away from her when we went to Vegas and my mom watched her when she was 3 months old, and then I had a few hours 1 night back in February when my mom watched her and we went up to Winstar. Otherwise, my only time away has been when I'm at work and Natali is at daycare. Work is definitely not what I consider a break. Of course, spending my "break" day cleaning is not my first choice either, but I feel like my house is a constant disaster and I would love to be able to clean without worrying about waking up a sleeping baby, or trying to figure out what I can clean in the 5 minutes Natali is distracted in her exersaucer with Cheerios. The house never gets clean this way. Plus, I was planning a movie too, so that would have been a real break. Oh well. It was not meant to be I guess.
Anyway, enough venting. I am a good supportive wife who recognizes the sacrifices we are both making for Natali. I understand how great we have things in the long run and things could always be worse. Natali is a very easy baby to care for, so its not like my time alone with her is difficult. Although, it is a bit more exhausting these days now that she crawls. That baby can move! :-)
Knowing how bad this month has been with Darren just being home weekdays I wanted him to get a different schedule for June with weekends off. Not only have we been missing time together, but Darren has been missing some fun things Natali and I have done on the weekends. We had dinner with Eric and Angela one night, we spent a long weekend in Sacramento at my sister's house, we went to San Antonio for a day visiting Darren's best friend from high school, and today we had a nice playdate with some other good friends of ours. It has been nice being able to hang out with friends because it gets lonely without Darren around, but I know Darren really would have liked to do all of those things with us, so it sucks for him too. We talked it over and decided we could manage ok if he bid for weekends off. If he did that he would always get a 3-day weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Saturday, Sunday, Monday). Then I would just have to shift my work schedule by a day to be home 1 day during the week. That way he would get weekends off, we could still do part time daycare, and we would have 1 full day each week when we are all home together for the entire day. Luckily for us Darren got a schedule for June with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off each week, so I will be working Tuesday-Saturday and stay home with Natali on Mondays, and all three of us will be home on Sundays. I am looking forward to it. Anything would be better than the crappy schedule he has this month. Of course, Darren did just inform me that he wants to trade a trip at the beginning of the month for a different trip on different days. I am very supportive of whatever he wants to do, but it does disappoint me a bit. The trip he wants to trade for would have him come home late at night on Monday the 30th, and then be gone again from Wednesday morning through Saturday. This means he would only be home 1 day during that week, which doesn't work out for daycare. Of course, the 30th is Memorial Day, a holiday for me, so it actually will be doable. It is unfortunate for me though, because I was actually scheduled to take Natali to daycare that day anyway. I was honestly really looking forward to it. I love my daughter to death and I enjoy taking care of her, but it was going to be such a nice little break for me. I had planned to drop her off and then come home and do some really good cleaning for a few hours and then go see a movie. It was a good plan. I sort of feel bad for wanting a break, but I honestly could use it. I'm not complaining or anything, but in Natali's 9 months of life I have had 2 days away from her when we went to Vegas and my mom watched her when she was 3 months old, and then I had a few hours 1 night back in February when my mom watched her and we went up to Winstar. Otherwise, my only time away has been when I'm at work and Natali is at daycare. Work is definitely not what I consider a break. Of course, spending my "break" day cleaning is not my first choice either, but I feel like my house is a constant disaster and I would love to be able to clean without worrying about waking up a sleeping baby, or trying to figure out what I can clean in the 5 minutes Natali is distracted in her exersaucer with Cheerios. The house never gets clean this way. Plus, I was planning a movie too, so that would have been a real break. Oh well. It was not meant to be I guess.
Anyway, enough venting. I am a good supportive wife who recognizes the sacrifices we are both making for Natali. I understand how great we have things in the long run and things could always be worse. Natali is a very easy baby to care for, so its not like my time alone with her is difficult. Although, it is a bit more exhausting these days now that she crawls. That baby can move! :-)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Back from cruising with a baby
We had a great vacation and cruise. Our plans of buying everything for Natali in Miami mostly worked. I had to make two trips to Walmart as we left some things we meant to bring behind (spoons and small stuff).
We spent about $150 for all the supplies for Natali for 7 days including formula (we bought the ready to go packets...easier on the go!), solid food, diapers, wipes, blankets (we forgot our own!), stoller (el cheapo $15 special...did the job), and of course treats.
Using the ready to go packets worked great. They only made 4 ounce bottles, but that's what Natali is used to so no issue.
Norwegian Cruise lines is fairly kid friendly. We requested and were given a pack and play. Great...but it was kinda word in that the pillow pad was convexed and caused Natali to roll to the outside of the pack and play. Solution? She slept in the bed with us. Didn't bother me, slightly annoyed Kelli. Bleh.
Natali did very well staying awake for long periods of time without getting pissy .We took turns staying with her in the room. It helped having other family onboard as my mother in law and sister in law watched Natali a few times.
Our next planned trips are New York in August and Hawaii in January. Sure there will be more than those though.
[nggallery id=31]
We spent about $150 for all the supplies for Natali for 7 days including formula (we bought the ready to go packets...easier on the go!), solid food, diapers, wipes, blankets (we forgot our own!), stoller (el cheapo $15 special...did the job), and of course treats.
Using the ready to go packets worked great. They only made 4 ounce bottles, but that's what Natali is used to so no issue.
Norwegian Cruise lines is fairly kid friendly. We requested and were given a pack and play. Great...but it was kinda word in that the pillow pad was convexed and caused Natali to roll to the outside of the pack and play. Solution? She slept in the bed with us. Didn't bother me, slightly annoyed Kelli. Bleh.
Natali did very well staying awake for long periods of time without getting pissy .We took turns staying with her in the room. It helped having other family onboard as my mother in law and sister in law watched Natali a few times.
Our next planned trips are New York in August and Hawaii in January. Sure there will be more than those though.
[nggallery id=31]
Friday, March 25, 2011
Bronchiolitis again
Natali was not a happy girl yesterday. Her coughing fits were so bad they were causing her to throw up. Then she started wheezing really badly and she didn't want to eat. Darren called and made an appointment with the doctor and I came home early so he could go to work. We had a late afternoon appointment with the doctor and they tested her oxygen saturation. Normal is 98 and Natali was at 87 when they first tested it. She watched it for a minute and it went up a little, to 92. So, they got out a nebulizer and did a breathing treatment in the office. The doctor says this may be either the beginning of asthma or she has bronchiolitic airway disease, which is better to have because it will go away eventually. The asthma likely will not. Asthma is more likely if there is a family history. I didn't think there was, but my mom says my grandma and my uncle both have it. We'll see. I just want to get her better now. The doctor gave her a prescription for an antibiotic and a steroid and we are having a nebulizer delivered to our house today to do our own breathing treatments. They usually deliver it the same day, but our appointment was so late yesterday that they delivery place was closed. I hope it comes soon because Natali really needs it.
After the doctor yesterday we went and picked up her medications before coming home. Once we got home I fed Natali a bottle and waited to see if she would keep it down. She did, so I went ahead and gave her the medications. Then she threw everything up. I sort of panicked at that point. Not only did I have a vomit covered child and carpet, but she didn't keep down any of her medicine. I had no clue what I was supposed to do at that point. Thankfully I have a sister and sister-in-law who are both nurses. I had conversations with both of them. I feel very lucky to have medical professionals (and mothers) in my family. They are a big help in these situations. I got Natali cleaned up and immediately put her to bed. The rest of the evening was more of the same. We really could have used that nebulizer. Oh well, we survived. Natali did surprisingly well overnight. She had a coughing fit around 3am, but otherwise she was fine. She is much happier this morning, but still very wheezy. I'm hoping we get that nebulizer soon. I got a call from the delivery service this morning confirming my address for delivery, so hopefully it won't be too long.
In other news, Darren and I aren't big fans of our pediatrician. He is very good at his job, he just isn't a very personable guy and he isn't very forthcoming with information. He even seemed to get upset with me when I said I had given Natali some Tylenol earlier in the day. He asked what I was treating because I hadn't taken her temperature. I said I didn't know I just thought it might make her feel better since it's the only thing I can really give her. He said I need to be careful because Tylenol can cause liver damage. I was a bit annoyed. It's not like I'm constantly dosing my daughter. It's the first time I've given it to her in over a month. He kind of made me feel like an idiot, and I definitely am not. I am very tempted to change doctors. The only thing the stops me is I absolutely love his nurse. She is the one that does most of the things for us, all the normal shots and stuff. The doctor doesn't do much but look at her. Changing doctors is hard. There is another doctor in the same practice that I really liked when we met her at the hospital, but I wonder how easy it is to switch doctors within the same practice. I don't really want to go somewhere else because I really like the location of this practice too. I think Darren and I will have to discuss it some. If Natali keeps having problems and we have to go more often I think switching would be a good idea.
Oh, and Darren thought he wouldn't get a flight yesterday and he would just be back home to help me, and then he got sent to Canada at the last minute! Of all places to get sent when you really don't want to go anywhere, they sent him to a place that makes it harder for us to even communicate with each other. :( Hopefully he will be home today, but he might not be.
After the doctor yesterday we went and picked up her medications before coming home. Once we got home I fed Natali a bottle and waited to see if she would keep it down. She did, so I went ahead and gave her the medications. Then she threw everything up. I sort of panicked at that point. Not only did I have a vomit covered child and carpet, but she didn't keep down any of her medicine. I had no clue what I was supposed to do at that point. Thankfully I have a sister and sister-in-law who are both nurses. I had conversations with both of them. I feel very lucky to have medical professionals (and mothers) in my family. They are a big help in these situations. I got Natali cleaned up and immediately put her to bed. The rest of the evening was more of the same. We really could have used that nebulizer. Oh well, we survived. Natali did surprisingly well overnight. She had a coughing fit around 3am, but otherwise she was fine. She is much happier this morning, but still very wheezy. I'm hoping we get that nebulizer soon. I got a call from the delivery service this morning confirming my address for delivery, so hopefully it won't be too long.
In other news, Darren and I aren't big fans of our pediatrician. He is very good at his job, he just isn't a very personable guy and he isn't very forthcoming with information. He even seemed to get upset with me when I said I had given Natali some Tylenol earlier in the day. He asked what I was treating because I hadn't taken her temperature. I said I didn't know I just thought it might make her feel better since it's the only thing I can really give her. He said I need to be careful because Tylenol can cause liver damage. I was a bit annoyed. It's not like I'm constantly dosing my daughter. It's the first time I've given it to her in over a month. He kind of made me feel like an idiot, and I definitely am not. I am very tempted to change doctors. The only thing the stops me is I absolutely love his nurse. She is the one that does most of the things for us, all the normal shots and stuff. The doctor doesn't do much but look at her. Changing doctors is hard. There is another doctor in the same practice that I really liked when we met her at the hospital, but I wonder how easy it is to switch doctors within the same practice. I don't really want to go somewhere else because I really like the location of this practice too. I think Darren and I will have to discuss it some. If Natali keeps having problems and we have to go more often I think switching would be a good idea.
Oh, and Darren thought he wouldn't get a flight yesterday and he would just be back home to help me, and then he got sent to Canada at the last minute! Of all places to get sent when you really don't want to go anywhere, they sent him to a place that makes it harder for us to even communicate with each other. :( Hopefully he will be home today, but he might not be.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Natali's new game
We have mentioned in the past that Natali took quite a while to figure out how to roll over. We saw her do it for the first time at about 5 months, and she very rarely ever did it. I guess she figured she didn't need to roll over. Well, all that has now changed. She won't stop rolling over! We put Natali down for a nap and she is immediately all over the place in her crib. She likes to put her feet up on the crib rails and push herself around in circles. She has also decided that rolling over is great fun. Of course, once she rolls over onto her stomach she rarely rolls back. Instead she just starts whining and we have to go put her back the way she was and then she immediately starts rolling again. This typically goes on for about 20 minutes or so before she finally falls asleep. Its amusing and totally annoying all at the same time. Of course, as I type this we have had a breakthrough. She rolled over onto her stomach and stayed that way. I sat her waiting for her to start crying, but she never did. She stayed that way for a few minutes and then just fell asleep that way. It's the first time she has slept on her stomach in several months. She used to when she was little, from about 1 month to 2 months or so, but once she started lifting her head up more she wouldn't sleep that way anymore. It always used to make me nervous having her on her stomach, but it doesn't now. I figure we are past the point where I need to worry about it.
I do worry about her getting stuck in her crib though. With how mobile Natali has become there have been a few times that her feet have been stuck through the crib slats. It makes me nervous that she is going to hurt herself. We thought about possibly getting one of those breathable crib bumpers, but I don't think that will be any better. It seems like it would probably make things worse. If her foot got stuck up underneath the bumper it would be harder for her to get loose than if it is just stuck through a slat. I am pretty sure if her foot is that stuck she won't struggle to the point of really hurting herself. She will likely just stop struggling and cry for help.
In baby food news, I ended up buying 2 jars of baby food. I bought a jar of turkey and a jar of ham. I was told Natali can start pureed meats now, but it seemed like a lot of work to make myself and I wasn't sure if she would like it anyway, so I bought the little jars just to try it with her. Darren was suddenly became concerned about preservatives in the food, but the ingredients list just says turkey, water, and cornstarch. She eats store bought food at daycare anyway, so I'm not sure where this sudden concern came from. I wonder if he is concerned enough to make her food himself? I think probably not. We will have to take store bought food with us on our upcoming cruise too. I think trying to bring our homemade food would just be too much of a hassle. It's really going to take some thought and planning though. Anyway, back to the prepared meat. Natali loved it! She downed the turkey very quickly. I was pretty happy about that. I guess if she likes it that much I will have to figure out how to prepare it myself. The cost of baby food really adds up quickly when you buy the jars.
I do worry about her getting stuck in her crib though. With how mobile Natali has become there have been a few times that her feet have been stuck through the crib slats. It makes me nervous that she is going to hurt herself. We thought about possibly getting one of those breathable crib bumpers, but I don't think that will be any better. It seems like it would probably make things worse. If her foot got stuck up underneath the bumper it would be harder for her to get loose than if it is just stuck through a slat. I am pretty sure if her foot is that stuck she won't struggle to the point of really hurting herself. She will likely just stop struggling and cry for help.
In baby food news, I ended up buying 2 jars of baby food. I bought a jar of turkey and a jar of ham. I was told Natali can start pureed meats now, but it seemed like a lot of work to make myself and I wasn't sure if she would like it anyway, so I bought the little jars just to try it with her. Darren was suddenly became concerned about preservatives in the food, but the ingredients list just says turkey, water, and cornstarch. She eats store bought food at daycare anyway, so I'm not sure where this sudden concern came from. I wonder if he is concerned enough to make her food himself? I think probably not. We will have to take store bought food with us on our upcoming cruise too. I think trying to bring our homemade food would just be too much of a hassle. It's really going to take some thought and planning though. Anyway, back to the prepared meat. Natali loved it! She downed the turkey very quickly. I was pretty happy about that. I guess if she likes it that much I will have to figure out how to prepare it myself. The cost of baby food really adds up quickly when you buy the jars.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Pink eye
Natali has conjunctivitis (pink eye). It's a pretty mild case, but we got some ointment for it anyway. The doctor said to wait to use it since the pink eye might go away on it's own. I used it once last night and this morning she seemed fine, no crusty eyes. Yay! Daycare is a wonderful thing for working parents, but I could really do without the germs and sickness. I mentioned to the doctor I was glad she was at least only part time and he said it didn't matter, "part time daycare, still full time germs". Nice. Well, I'm glad she's only part time anyway. It's really nice to have Darren able to stay home with her for 2 days each week. Of course, the days she is sick and he is out of town make it harder. I had to take a sick day on Friday so we could see the doctor. Hopefully next time Darren will be around when she is sick, then he can take a sick day. He has a lot more sick time than I do. I only get 5 days a year. I have never needed to use them all, but I have a feeling I might need them this year. I've already taken 2 days, so only 3 left for 9 months. At least with my job I can make up the time on a weekend if I don't have days left, but that is harder now too. With Darren staying home during the week he is often gone on the weekend and I can't work anyway. I tried it last weekend when we were up against a deadline. I took Natali up to work with me for a couple of hours. I put a blanket on the floor with her toys and she sat and played for a long time. I had her bouncer chair too, and she spent some time in that as well. We made it 2 good hours before she decided she had enough. Luckily that was about all I needed to get the important stuff done. A lot of times there is work that I can just take home and do, so that is helpful. It's easier to work at home with a baby than take her and all her stuff out of the house.
During the last month or so Natali has become Miss Grabby Hands. She will grab at anything and everything she can possibly reach. This has led to a few incidents of slobbered on papers and one entire cup of Diet Coke, with ice, being dumped on her and me and the couch. We have to be extremely careful with her now, and she isn't even mobile yet! I am really concerned about what happens when she starts crawling and walking. Our entire house is a child hazard, and we have yet to do any childproofing except for baby gates (which were put in because of dogs, not kids). Things may get really interesting here in the next couple of months. I think we will end up just childproofing as we see a need. Natali will quickly let us know what we need to put away or secure when she starts moving.
Making baby food is still fun. I have learned a lot and Natali is doing well. She still eats the jar food at daycare and I'm fine with that. They have fed her a few things that I just can't bring myself to make (green beans). Between here and there she is getting a wide range of foods and is eating fairly well. We recently started her on the little cereal puffs and she is finally getting those in her mouth with regularity. Yesterday I bought her some larger puffs, shaped like cheetos. The package said they were good for crawlers, which is about her age. I was concerned about choking at first, but they still dissolve, so it's not a problem. Natali really likes them. I think she prefers finger foods to being spoon fed. I will have to see what else I can give her. I'm not too sure what else is ok at this point besides pieces of banana. I will probably try that with her today. Suggestions on other items are happily accepted. :)
During the last month or so Natali has become Miss Grabby Hands. She will grab at anything and everything she can possibly reach. This has led to a few incidents of slobbered on papers and one entire cup of Diet Coke, with ice, being dumped on her and me and the couch. We have to be extremely careful with her now, and she isn't even mobile yet! I am really concerned about what happens when she starts crawling and walking. Our entire house is a child hazard, and we have yet to do any childproofing except for baby gates (which were put in because of dogs, not kids). Things may get really interesting here in the next couple of months. I think we will end up just childproofing as we see a need. Natali will quickly let us know what we need to put away or secure when she starts moving.
Making baby food is still fun. I have learned a lot and Natali is doing well. She still eats the jar food at daycare and I'm fine with that. They have fed her a few things that I just can't bring myself to make (green beans). Between here and there she is getting a wide range of foods and is eating fairly well. We recently started her on the little cereal puffs and she is finally getting those in her mouth with regularity. Yesterday I bought her some larger puffs, shaped like cheetos. The package said they were good for crawlers, which is about her age. I was concerned about choking at first, but they still dissolve, so it's not a problem. Natali really likes them. I think she prefers finger foods to being spoon fed. I will have to see what else I can give her. I'm not too sure what else is ok at this point besides pieces of banana. I will probably try that with her today. Suggestions on other items are happily accepted. :)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Random stuff
I am off work today, not by choice, but because of this nasty weather. My company actually closed until noon, which seems silly because this weather will definitely not be getting better later. They may change it to a full day, but I will not be there regardless. My daycare is actually open today, but I was not going to take a chance and go out in this weather. I called up there to tell them Natali wouldn't be in today and was told they didn't have any infant teachers at the moment anyway. I asked if there were any kids there, and she said there was 1 infant there, but the baby's mother got her car stuck trying to leave the daycare. It's kind of nice that they stay open even in conditions like this because there are some people that just can't skip work no matter what. If it were just me I would probably have tried to go this morning. I've done it before. These days I always have to think about Natali first though. Darren is currently stuck in Milwaukee. His flight is going on 3 hours late now. He should get here at some point today, but DFW is shut down right now, so we'll see how long it takes him. Me, Natali, and the dogs are just hunkered down in the house right now trying to keep warm. It's so cold my dog door froze shut! Now I have to keep getting up to let the dogs out. It's a good thing they are lazy and hate cold weather. I pretty much have to force them out the door to make them go to the bathroom.
Anyway, in other news my adventures in baby food continue. We have tried several different things with Natali. She has eaten butternut squash and sweet potatoes, both of which she really enjoys. She has also had bananas and apples. She really wasn't a big fan of either of those, but she did eat them. She made a lot of faces with the apples though. I wonder if I need to change the type of apple I am feeding her. I read a list of good apples for babies, but my apples aren't on that list. Darren got them for me and he wasn't sure which ones to get. The ones I made were pink lady apples. They are really flavorful. I'm thinking maybe a more bland apple would be better for her right now. Last night I made sweet peas. I haven't fed them to Natali yet, but I will later today. The peas were the hardest to make so far because I couldn't get the puree very smooth. It was really gritty. I ended up mashing the puree through a strainer to remove the larger bits and make it smoother. That wasn't an ideal solution though. It took a while to strain. I will have to look into that a bit more. Perhaps someone out there has a suggestion on those for me?
Also, this morning I learned you can never be sure if the pooping is finished. Natali woke up at 6am and I went into her room to get her up. I was greeted with a smile and the distinctive sound of a poop in progress. Nice. I got her up and immediately went to change her diaper. It was pretty messy. Darn the baby food! It makes all poops really gross. I started cleaning her up and quickly pulled the dirty diaper out from under her to put the new one on. Just a second after I had pulled the diaper away Natali pooped again. It was projectile poop! Thankfully my hands and body were not in the way of it. The poop exploded out of her butt and literally shot across the room. I ended up having to clean up Natali, the changing pad, the changing table, and the carpet. So gross! I couldn't help but laugh though. It is amazing the crazy situations that parents get into. I will have to steam clean the carpet when Darren gets home. After the poop explosion I fed Natali and put her right into the bathtub. It was bath day anyway. I'm just waiting for the day when the poop explosion happens while she is in the tub. I'm sure that is a common problem many parents have faced. Darren would be horrified if something like that were to happen on his watch. I think it would be hysterical. :-)
Anyway, in other news my adventures in baby food continue. We have tried several different things with Natali. She has eaten butternut squash and sweet potatoes, both of which she really enjoys. She has also had bananas and apples. She really wasn't a big fan of either of those, but she did eat them. She made a lot of faces with the apples though. I wonder if I need to change the type of apple I am feeding her. I read a list of good apples for babies, but my apples aren't on that list. Darren got them for me and he wasn't sure which ones to get. The ones I made were pink lady apples. They are really flavorful. I'm thinking maybe a more bland apple would be better for her right now. Last night I made sweet peas. I haven't fed them to Natali yet, but I will later today. The peas were the hardest to make so far because I couldn't get the puree very smooth. It was really gritty. I ended up mashing the puree through a strainer to remove the larger bits and make it smoother. That wasn't an ideal solution though. It took a while to strain. I will have to look into that a bit more. Perhaps someone out there has a suggestion on those for me?
Also, this morning I learned you can never be sure if the pooping is finished. Natali woke up at 6am and I went into her room to get her up. I was greeted with a smile and the distinctive sound of a poop in progress. Nice. I got her up and immediately went to change her diaper. It was pretty messy. Darn the baby food! It makes all poops really gross. I started cleaning her up and quickly pulled the dirty diaper out from under her to put the new one on. Just a second after I had pulled the diaper away Natali pooped again. It was projectile poop! Thankfully my hands and body were not in the way of it. The poop exploded out of her butt and literally shot across the room. I ended up having to clean up Natali, the changing pad, the changing table, and the carpet. So gross! I couldn't help but laugh though. It is amazing the crazy situations that parents get into. I will have to steam clean the carpet when Darren gets home. After the poop explosion I fed Natali and put her right into the bathtub. It was bath day anyway. I'm just waiting for the day when the poop explosion happens while she is in the tub. I'm sure that is a common problem many parents have faced. Darren would be horrified if something like that were to happen on his watch. I think it would be hysterical. :-)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Her first fever
Natali goes to daycare part time, 3 days a week. So far it has worked out well for us, and it will continue to because Darren got a nice schedule in February with at least 2 weekdays off every week. However, last week he had just completed training and didn't have an official schedule for January so they just put him in where they wanted. That meant he worked 4 days last week. He stayed home with her on Monday and then she went to daycare Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Friday was the problem. Darren was scheduled to work. We weren't sure until the night before what we needed to do. If Darren got airport standby I would need to stay home from work, but if he was on a 2 hour call out from home he could watch Natali. I let my supervisor know the situation. Luckily, my work is extremely flexible and I can work different hours or days if needed. Worst case scenario I could work a full day Saturday instead of Friday. So, Thursday night came and Darren found out he was on a 2 hour call out starting at 4am. I planned on going to work. Friday morning I got up at my normal time and started to get ready for work as usual. Of course, nothing went as usual that day. Just as I was making my breakfast I found out Darren was getting called to go sit standby at the airport. There went my work day. We changed the plan. Darren would go sit at the airport until 2pm. I would drop her off with him on my way up to work as he started to go home. I could get to work around 2pm and work until around 6pm and then work another half day on Saturday. It was a good plan, but it was not meant to be. Once Darren got to the airport he was almost immediately called out for a flight that would put him back home at 2:30. I decided I would just go up to work at 2pm anyway and take Natali with me. She could hang out with me at work for half an hour or so and Darren would just pick her up from me on his way home. Of course, that plan ended up falling through too.
Natali and I had a decent morning at home. Around 10am I decided to run out to the store for a few things. While at the store I noticed Natali looked a bit dazed. I thought she was just tired. We continued shopping as normal and I figured I would just put her down for a nap as soon as we got home. Well, once I got her out of the car seat when we got home I noticed she felt a bit warm. I immediately took her temperature, 100.3. It was her first fever. Natali has been sick in the past, but she has never had a fever. I have no clue what caused it as she had no other visible symptoms. I was not prepared for a fever and I didn't have any medicine for her. I figured we should get something right away, so I put her back in the car and we went down the street to the CVS for some Tylenol. It took about 15 minutes and when we got back I did another check of her temperature. In the span of half an hour it had climbed to 101.4. I gave her the medicine and called my sister (the pediatric nurse). She didn't answer the phone. I wasn't sure how much I should worry about just a fever, but I figured I should go ahead and call the doctor just in case. They took a message and told me a nurse would call me back. In the meantime I called my mom. She suggested a cool wet rag on her head might help, so I went ahead and did that too. I then put Natali down for a nap. An hour later the nurse at the doctor's office called back and said to just keep a watch on her and give her the medicine as needed, but not to worry unless it's been 48 hours.
There was no way I was going to take Natali to work with a fever, so I texted Darren and told him to just come home when he landed. Natali woke up around 2pm and I took her temperature again, 98.6. The medicine and wet rag had done the trick. Darren got home and took over so I could head up to work. On another day I would probably have just blown off work all together and just done a full day Saturday, but we had a deadline and I had some stuff to accomplish to send stuff out that day so I had to go. Natali was doing ok, so I went and put in a few hours. I got home around 6pm and immediately took her temperature again. Unfortunately the Tylenol wore off and she was right back up to 101.5. We gave her more Tylenol and I got out the wet rag for her head again. Darren made fun of me for it, but it really does work. At least he didn't fight it. I was completely exhausted and fell asleep early. Darren let me go to bed and he took care of Natali until she went to bed for the night. He gave her one last dose of medicine before bedtime, but didn't take her temperature again.
Saturday morning we all woke up and Natali seemed fine. I had work to do, so I left her and Darren and headed out for the morning. I worked the whole morning and got back around 1pm to a very upset baby. She was extremely fussy and could only be quieted by walking around the house. Darren had a project to work on with his car, so I took over. For the next hour and a half I could not sit down. Every time I did Natali would cry uncontrollably. We did a lot of standing in the garage watching Darren and standing in the backyard watching the dogs run around. As long as I stood and held her she was ok. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I knew she was very tired and my arms hurt. I ended up laying her down in her bed and just letting her cry it out. She cried pretty hard for about 10 minutes and then was out. Of course, she didn't sleep very long before she was awake and crying again. We had another rough 2 hours or so with a lot of crying, before she finally fell asleep again. After this nap she woke up good as new, no more fussiness, and definitely no more fever.
I have no clue what the problem was. We thought she might be teething, but we cannot feel any teeth, and we're told a 101.5 fever seems too high for just teething. I guess we won't ever know what her issue was. I'm just glad it's over now. A sick baby is definitely not fun, and fevers are the worst!
Natali and I had a decent morning at home. Around 10am I decided to run out to the store for a few things. While at the store I noticed Natali looked a bit dazed. I thought she was just tired. We continued shopping as normal and I figured I would just put her down for a nap as soon as we got home. Well, once I got her out of the car seat when we got home I noticed she felt a bit warm. I immediately took her temperature, 100.3. It was her first fever. Natali has been sick in the past, but she has never had a fever. I have no clue what caused it as she had no other visible symptoms. I was not prepared for a fever and I didn't have any medicine for her. I figured we should get something right away, so I put her back in the car and we went down the street to the CVS for some Tylenol. It took about 15 minutes and when we got back I did another check of her temperature. In the span of half an hour it had climbed to 101.4. I gave her the medicine and called my sister (the pediatric nurse). She didn't answer the phone. I wasn't sure how much I should worry about just a fever, but I figured I should go ahead and call the doctor just in case. They took a message and told me a nurse would call me back. In the meantime I called my mom. She suggested a cool wet rag on her head might help, so I went ahead and did that too. I then put Natali down for a nap. An hour later the nurse at the doctor's office called back and said to just keep a watch on her and give her the medicine as needed, but not to worry unless it's been 48 hours.
There was no way I was going to take Natali to work with a fever, so I texted Darren and told him to just come home when he landed. Natali woke up around 2pm and I took her temperature again, 98.6. The medicine and wet rag had done the trick. Darren got home and took over so I could head up to work. On another day I would probably have just blown off work all together and just done a full day Saturday, but we had a deadline and I had some stuff to accomplish to send stuff out that day so I had to go. Natali was doing ok, so I went and put in a few hours. I got home around 6pm and immediately took her temperature again. Unfortunately the Tylenol wore off and she was right back up to 101.5. We gave her more Tylenol and I got out the wet rag for her head again. Darren made fun of me for it, but it really does work. At least he didn't fight it. I was completely exhausted and fell asleep early. Darren let me go to bed and he took care of Natali until she went to bed for the night. He gave her one last dose of medicine before bedtime, but didn't take her temperature again.
Saturday morning we all woke up and Natali seemed fine. I had work to do, so I left her and Darren and headed out for the morning. I worked the whole morning and got back around 1pm to a very upset baby. She was extremely fussy and could only be quieted by walking around the house. Darren had a project to work on with his car, so I took over. For the next hour and a half I could not sit down. Every time I did Natali would cry uncontrollably. We did a lot of standing in the garage watching Darren and standing in the backyard watching the dogs run around. As long as I stood and held her she was ok. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I knew she was very tired and my arms hurt. I ended up laying her down in her bed and just letting her cry it out. She cried pretty hard for about 10 minutes and then was out. Of course, she didn't sleep very long before she was awake and crying again. We had another rough 2 hours or so with a lot of crying, before she finally fell asleep again. After this nap she woke up good as new, no more fussiness, and definitely no more fever.
I have no clue what the problem was. We thought she might be teething, but we cannot feel any teeth, and we're told a 101.5 fever seems too high for just teething. I guess we won't ever know what her issue was. I'm just glad it's over now. A sick baby is definitely not fun, and fevers are the worst!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Adventures in baby food
When Natali went for her 4 month check up we were given a sheet about starting her on solid foods. It gave a whole bunch of information about what and when to feed her. The paper said to start with cereal. We bought a box of dry rice cereal and mixed it with formula. She took it pretty well. After that we tried mushed banana. She didn't like that as well, which was surprising because I am a big fan of bananas and I figured she would inherit my sweet tooth. The paper listed a few fruits and vegetables to try at this age, and at the bottom it talked about preparing fresh baby food at home as opposed to buying jar food. This intrigued me. I have absolutely nothing against jar baby food. I know that's what I was raised on. However, in my research I found that fresh foods are healthier and have less preservatives, and making my own baby food actually saves a lot of money. I am not a cook by any means, but I figured I could try this. It didn't seem too hard.
We started out by buying a small, cheap food processor and a butternut squash. That was the first squash I ever purchased in my life, and my ignorance showed. I had no idea I had to bake it in the oven for a whole hour before processing it! It wasn't a big deal though. Baking it was easy, and the food processor is really nice and quick to use. Plus, Natali loves squash! With the rice cereal and bananas she never finished the amount we prepared for her, but she has finished all of her squash without a problem 2 days in a row. I tried it too. It's actually not bad. I have never been a squash eater, obviously, but I would probably eat a meal with squash as an ingredient. I figure if I'm going to feed it to her I might as well be able to eat it myself. Next we are going to try sweet potatoes. I read that we can prepare a good amount of food at one time and freeze it in ice cube trays, then store them in a freezer bag in the freezer until we are ready to use them.
I am looking forward to preparing different foods for Natali. It should be fun! I found some interesting recipes for baby stuff for when she's older and can eat more than one food at a time.
In other news, Natali was diagnosed with bronchiolitis. Darn daycare! Then she got the rest of us sick. I even took a sick day from work today. I haven't done that in a really long time (other than for doctor's appointments during my pregnancy). I don't think it hit me as hard as it could have. I have been pretty healthy lately, and I still take several vitamins and supplements each day.
In other, other news, my cousin Julie had her second baby yesterday. It was her 2nd daughter and her name is Lianna Michelle. Congratulations Julie and Bill! Also, my friend Shelbi Lynne, who I met because we both have the same condition and miscarriage history, is scheduled to have her baby boy by c-section on Friday. Congratulations Shelbi Lynne and Matt! It's so exciting that we were both able to have perfectly healthy babies with a simple treatment for our condition. I can't wait to see pictures of little Wyatt! :)
We started out by buying a small, cheap food processor and a butternut squash. That was the first squash I ever purchased in my life, and my ignorance showed. I had no idea I had to bake it in the oven for a whole hour before processing it! It wasn't a big deal though. Baking it was easy, and the food processor is really nice and quick to use. Plus, Natali loves squash! With the rice cereal and bananas she never finished the amount we prepared for her, but she has finished all of her squash without a problem 2 days in a row. I tried it too. It's actually not bad. I have never been a squash eater, obviously, but I would probably eat a meal with squash as an ingredient. I figure if I'm going to feed it to her I might as well be able to eat it myself. Next we are going to try sweet potatoes. I read that we can prepare a good amount of food at one time and freeze it in ice cube trays, then store them in a freezer bag in the freezer until we are ready to use them.
I am looking forward to preparing different foods for Natali. It should be fun! I found some interesting recipes for baby stuff for when she's older and can eat more than one food at a time.
In other news, Natali was diagnosed with bronchiolitis. Darn daycare! Then she got the rest of us sick. I even took a sick day from work today. I haven't done that in a really long time (other than for doctor's appointments during my pregnancy). I don't think it hit me as hard as it could have. I have been pretty healthy lately, and I still take several vitamins and supplements each day.
In other, other news, my cousin Julie had her second baby yesterday. It was her 2nd daughter and her name is Lianna Michelle. Congratulations Julie and Bill! Also, my friend Shelbi Lynne, who I met because we both have the same condition and miscarriage history, is scheduled to have her baby boy by c-section on Friday. Congratulations Shelbi Lynne and Matt! It's so exciting that we were both able to have perfectly healthy babies with a simple treatment for our condition. I can't wait to see pictures of little Wyatt! :)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
5 months old...her eyes are still blue!
Spent the day out and out. Took a few photos. We are both thrilled that Natali's eyes are still blue.
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