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. :)

Wednesdays are the worst

Natali has the most "issues" on Wednesdays. I think it's her growth spurt day seeing as she was born on a Wednesday. Today was rough. She was awake from noon till 6PM. I could not wear her out and she would not go to sleep. After 3 4-5 ounce bottles plus a bowl of pears...she finally went to sleep....after being swaddled.

These were taken during hour 5.....at least she is happy...

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The Dogs suddenly care

Natali is talking more and more everyday. Lots of "Da Da Da Da" and "NoBama".

I was out of town over the weekend. Kelli reports that Natali doesn't sleep anywhere near as well when I am gone. Saturday night Kelli said she got up every two hours to comfort Natali. I haven't had to do that in months.

Beyond that she is really wanting to walk. She will stand up for 10-15 minutes holding my hand or leaning on the exersaucer. While holding my hand she will kick out a leg and try to advance herself forward. Progress!

The daycare assumed Natali couldn't sit up on her own and had been putting her in a boppy chair for weeks. Kelli dropped Natali off last week and just plopped Natali on a mat. The daycare employees were shocked at how well Natali sat up. I think she has been sitting up on her own since she was 4 1/2 months old.

She started eating those little dissolvable treats a week or so ago while her grandma was here.

At first she could never put them in her mouth. Once they are wet they become sticky. Natali had them stuck to her face, hands and exersaucer. None in her mouth.

Now she can pop them in her mouth like no one's business. The dogs have taken notice of this new food and surround her exersaucer begging for food.

Natali hasn't been on a plane in months. This might be rectified soon. Might take a trip to visit her grandpa soon.

Below are photos from Grandma's visit and one of the dogs taking extra interest in Natali.

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Break Dancing in Moonlight

Natali has become quite the little trickster. Her latest trick is to pretend to be super sleepy. We place her in bed and she closes her eyes and pushes her head to the side as though she is going straight to sleep. Once we leave the room though...the party starts.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rNefcq7DL0

Hold that pose!

Natali is still sick. Wheezing at night....and small coughing fits. Last night I tried saline up the nose (she is finally used to it and doesn't cry), baby rub on chest and humidifier. Mildly worked. I spent 40 minutes around 2AM rocking her as she got frustrated by all the coughing. I know it will pass.

Last night she finally held a crawling position. She didn't crawl. She knew she wanted to, but just kinda hung out. In the past she would collapse right away.

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The "Da Da" sounds are non-stop now. Loving it.

She has started to eat those dissolving kiddie treats that have zero nutrtional value. She can pick them up and aim them toward her mouth....but she misses most of the time. When she does have one in her mouth she likes them.

Natali still despises rolling over. She will roll to one side....and stop. I guess she feels it's beneath her. She loves to stand up and makes and effort to walk. Who knows if she will blow off rolling over and crawling and go straight to walking. From one month old she liked to stand up. Who knows.

Her first word?

For about two weeks Natali has been saying, "Da Da" a lot. I'm sure she is calling me and not just making random sounds. She says it most while she is standing, thus I shot a short video of her standing up (holding my hand) and randomly saying Da Da.

For higher quality, after clicking play, click on the number to the right of the scrolling bar. It should be available in at least 480P if not 720P.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTPhNbnwn1U

6 month visit

I brought Natali in for her 6 month visit. The stats:

Weight : 17.6 pounds

Height: 27 inches

Head Circumference: 44.45 cms or 17.5 inches

The visit went kinda okay. The office was busy. Before we went to the office we stopped by my allergist. Natali was her normal happy and exploring self.

I gave her a bottle right before the office visit. She had about 2 ounces.

The Doctor isn't very talkative. He examined her then said the nurse would be in for her shots. Then we waited. Natali was getting sleepy and cranky. I walked around and sang to her. I bounced her around. I then ignored the sign saying to not feed your child and fed her the other 2 ounces of her bottle. Finally 20 minutes later the nurse arrived.

I've read several articles about shots and immunizations. The number of shots Natali gets at each visit is mind blowing. I would be pissy if I go that many shots at once. The reason they cluster them up is because MOST parents won't bring their kids in every 2 weeks or so for the shots. Doctors "have" to cluster them up.

Natali was a different person after her 4 month visit for about a day. This 6 month visit would be worse.

The nurse came in and held Natalis' legs down. One oral medicine and then three shots (including a flu shot). Natali was screaming. I was able to quickly calm her down. She left somber.

For the rest of the day she was just off. Much crankier than normal. It didn't help that she had her first tooth start to come in this same morning.

On top of that she is sick again. Something about that day care. So shots + first tooth + being sick = long night.

Natali coughed all night. After two hours I brought her to our bed. I initially thought there was something in her room making her cough. She never coughed anywhere else in the house previously. Each morning she sleeps in our bed between 5AM and 8AM....and never coughs.

I put some baby rub (baby version of Vicks vapor rub) on her chest and laid her next to me. She fell asleep quickly.

Through the night she was mostly okay. Woke up a few times when her pacifier came out.

I am very cautious with her in the bed. I sleep on my right side and have Natali in front of me. I sleep on the right side of the bed so I am her cushion in case she suddenly decides to roll. Natali hates to roll over so not a big concern.

This morning she is still cranky. On the next visit I am going to ask to spread out the vaccinations/shots. We live 2 miles from the Doctors office and I typically have weekdays off so I can take her whenever.