First Cereal Day!

Today you had your first "solid food." I use quotes because solid foods for a 6 month old is really mushy liquidy oatmealy stuff that we pass off with a spoon. I will admit...it is a different consistency than drinking breastmilk, and true true solid food sounds more appetizing than mushy stuff.

Working Mom

I recently read a blog posting where a mother wrote a letter to her daughter stating that for three months her daughter's life had consumed her.  And for those three months she had kept a secret from her daughter - the fact that she was a working mom.  She then went on to explain that she would be gone 8hrs a day and when home would even be occasionally distracted by a little square contraption - known as a blackberry.  She was happy to go back to work and hoped that some day her daughter would respect her for being a working mother with a career.

Well, my Squishette, I too am going to be a working mother.  Unfortunately, unlike the blog I read, I am not at all happy or upbeat about it.  To be honest I have cried about it every change I have gotten since you were born.  Why?  Well...if you think Mommy is a wuss just wait until you have your own little baby and we'll see how you feel too.  For the last 6 months I have been in denial - and finally the time has come.  I am starting work very soon.  And you will be going to daycare.  Luckily we are blessed because I will be working part time...so you are still stuck with me 3 days a week.  Ha.

Anyway - going back to work, or facing the prospect of doing so, has made me reflect on many things.  One of those things has been my relationship with Abuelala.  Looking back I have realized that Abuelala and I are very close...perhaps the reason we are close has to do with the fact that Abuelala always made an effort to sit us down and dissect our days when she got home from work.  I have distinct memories of sitting in her bathroom in the morning when she got ready for work and sitting in her bedroom when she came home and changed at night.  In fact we made a game out of it - and still do to this day - by starting each conversation with "I got on the bus..."  Hopefully by the time you can read this those words will make you smile because you will be familiar with the same tradition.

Bottom line?  I love you.  I would love nothing more than to stay home and be your full time playmate, caretaker, teacher, and official squisher.  But I must go to work so that you can grow up strong and healthy with a roof over your head and food on the table.  I hope you will understand.  That being said - I PROMISE that when I am home I will be with you...and I expect you to give me the dirt on your day starting from the very beginning when you got on the bus...

xoxo,

Mommy 

Trip to Connecticut

We visited Mema and Boompa this week in Connecticut. You had so much fun with the yelling Kai - who sounded so much like a crying baby that you started to cry yourself. We tried to have gelato but you slept through it, which was great for us because we really got to enjoy the gelato without juggling you at the same time so thank you baby girl - good timing!

Unfortunately we couldn't take you to the beach because it rained this trip. Hopefully next time we will be able to take you and see your reaction to the sand. Will you eat it???

xoxo

Mommy

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

I am proud to report that you are really sleeping in your crib most nights. You still wake up sometime between 2:30am-3:30am. But honestly I am perfectly fine with that. In fact, it is 1:35am right now and I'm still up. Why? Well I am having a hard time with you sleeping so far away from me. It may sound silly but it is true. I lie in bed staring at the monitor (it lights up when there is noise) wondering whether it is going to light up with your crying. I don't suppose anyone expected me to suffer separation anxiety with you only two rooms away...but there you have it.

To make matters even more interesting...you now roll onto your stomach...while asleep. Now depending on how asleep you are determines whether rolling wakes you up crying or not. For instance about an hour ago you woke up crying because you had rolled onto your stomach and didn't know what to do. I put you back on your side and you quieted down. But I just walked in to check you ten minutes ago and you are now perfectly happy on your stomach. In fact, when I tried checking to see if you could breathe (I put my finger to your nostrils to make sure they weren't against the bed) you (understandably) got annoyed and didn't wake up you simply turned your head away from me. Ha! You showed me didn't you.

Daddy and I were concerned about letting you sleep on your tummy. Daddy was so worried that he even let you sleep in our room until your recent Dr's appointment - isn't that cute? But, when I asked the Dr she said it was your decision as to whether you wanted to sleep on your stomach and we could leave you alone. So it is up to you now. That is a huge relief for us.

Hmmm...if only I could sleep we'd be all good to go.

Love you baby girl.

xoxo

Mommy

Roll back...

You rolled from your tummy to your back tonight! It was mostly out of sheer frustration because we think that you are ANGRY that you are unable move move move... So while you were crying to voice your annoyance at being static you pushed your arms straight and BAM over onto your back you rolled. It was quite a sight to see. I am so proud of you.

Now - if you could just figure out that you can do this again we'd be all set. Wink.

On a positive note, you now easily roll over from your back to your tummy from either side. Good job! Keep it going baby and you'll be crawling in no time.

xoxo

Mommy

Your First Piercing...

ear piercing that is.  Wink.  I of all people cannot exactly limit any future  piercings you may want because that would be quite hypocritical - you'll understand when you are older.

Anyway - it is done!  I have been worrying about where we would be able to get your ears pierced since before you were even born.  It is a big tradition in Abuelala's family to have little girls' ears pierced as soon as possible.  In the past Drs used to do it - but now they won't.  Hospitals also won't do them anymore...  So where does that leave us?  Well, with earring stores like Claire's.  Of course I was not into that idea at all.  My idea of Claire's was a bunch of teeny bopper cashiers that had no idea what they were doing with a cash register let alone a piercing gun.  

Luckily my fears were unwarranted.  We stopped into Claire's while Abuelala was visiting and asked what the deal was.  Apparently, at least at this Claire's, they are very experienced in piercing babies.  Great!  Of course Abeulala insisted on asking who the best baby piercer was and demanded that she do it.  Heh.  Big surprise - wink.  She is looking out for you of course!  So after making sure I had all the appropriate paperwork, and picking out a yellow gold pair of earrings for you (out of nostalgia - my first pair were yellow gold too), we were ready to go.  You sat on Abuelala's lap and the store manager pierced you one ear at a time while Abuelala held your head against her chest.  I stood there wincing...  You cried.  A lot.  But no more than you do when you get your shots at the Drs office.  And we had a bottle ready to pacify you.  10 minutes later you were fine...as if nothing had even happened.

I am so proud of you.  You did a great job.  Hmmm I wonder if this experience foreshadows things to come in you future.  More piercings?  Tattoos?  Well at least I have time to think about that...

xoxo

Mommy

Update:  A week later and I am happy to say that your ears are beautiful and totally fine.  No infections or issues at all.  Good job!  Ah, the things we do for beauty.

Sleep Log

Okay it is time to pull out the big guns. You had two awesome nights of sleep...you slept in your crib and woke only once during the night. But after that? Yeah - not so much. We are back to the every two hour wake up. Little girl...

So I am going to pull out the big guns and write down your sleep pattern. Maybe there is a code to crack. I'll keep you posted on how it works out.

xoxo
Mommy