Why we blog...

I was reading Marianne's blog commenting about another blog and mommybloggers. This got me to thinking about why so many of us moms blog. I started to think about the blogs I enjoy reading the most and what those moms are up to on a daily basis. Many of us either work or are in school (I am counting writing a dissertation as in school). These things take a lot of the time out of our days. Time that in the past moms would spend together talking, either in person or on the phone. Now we use the internet to talk. We are using blogs to communicate with other moms "like us." Now, that isn't to mean that we never talk with those who live near by or don't have friends in our area to talk to. But, it gives us a chance to communicate with more people - especially more that are dealing with similar daily schedules.

Many of you blog to keep family up-to-date. I actually haven't even shared this blog with my husband, let alone any of the other family. I do it instead to just get things out of my head and to have them saved somewhere. I could journal like this on paper or in Word, but I enjoy the occasional comments I get - the advice that is shared from time to time. Would I still blog if no one read it? Yes, because I am not blogging for others. I am blogging for me. I read other blogs for me.

So, that was a little rant that may not be written too well (AJU5 fell twice during writing it so I got distracted). Feel free to comment about if you agree or disagree with what I have said!

Wordless Wednesday - Helping Install Cabinets in Her Bathroom

Food!

AJU5 has become very independent at times - feeding herself even! I have to help her get the food out of the bowl, but she can get it in her mouth. Now, she does make more of a mess this way, but it is fun! I normally feed her about 2/3 of her food and then let her do the last third if she wants the spoon.

She was not a fan of the texture of watermelon, so we moved to carrots. She seems to like0 the carrots! For breakfast, she has been eating banana. She eats between 1/2 and a whole large banana each morning! She also drank from her sippy cup yesterday! She hadn't been finishing her bottle, so I decided to try the cup. She drank about 2 oz out of it - so I was happy! I think she isn't a fan of the bottle right now because she is teething. She has been chewing on her fingers more than normal and has been overly cranky. Three Little Teethers teething tablets before bed last night did help her sleep though!

Her are some recent pictures of her eating!


Left: Eating a Teething Biscuit (Organic Barley) Right: Feeding Herself Grean Beans


Above: Feeding Herself Carrot!

Sleeping... or lack there of...

We have three issues with sleeping these days.

1. She has learned to stand up in her pack-n-play (i.e. bed). So, now when I put her down she ends up pulling herself up. The problem is that she has not mastered the sitting down! So, I end up having to get her almost asleep before I can put her down or rub her back until she crashes.
2. Nightmares - or so we assume. She cries in her sleep. The cries are not just whimpers - they are full out cries. But she is still technically asleep. So, during the day we wake her up and hold her until she is happy. At night I nurse her back to a calm sleep.
3. She wakes up/cries every 1-3 hours at night. It is a miracle if I get one 4 hour stretch or two three hour stretches. Luckily she normally just eats and falls back asleep. But some times she wants to play or requires lots of rocking/back rubbing to get to go back to sleep.

Somewhat related is the concern she will crawl out of our bed. I try to put her back in her bed around 4, but it doesn't always happen. And there was the night she woke at midnight and started to crawl all over us...

Other than that, she is a happy baby. I do enjoy her, and the sleep-deprivation isn't killing me yet!

Tag- Your It!

Marianne tagged me. She has a son about a month younger than AJU5


First the rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you

2. Mention the rules on your blog

3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours

4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them

5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Quirk 1: Sugar after 8pm is not allowed unless I am sleep-deprived already. Why you ask? Because I get really hyper and giggly. So my husband created the rule. Luckily these days I am always sleep-deprived, so the hyperness is not so evident.

Quirk 2: I remember lots of random things. They are mainly things I heard. On the other side of the coin - I am terrible with song and movie names - oh my crazy brain!

Quirk 3: I have a hard time with right and left. I am not as bad as my sister, but I do have to look and see which one makes an L. We think that we might have some sort of dyslexia (we also have problems with b, p, d, etc), but since we both did fine in school, no one ever tested us.

Quirk 4: I used to hate reading. Now I can finish a full length novel (350+ pages) in a day or two. It is crazy to think back to high school and undergrad when I did everything I could to not read. Now I read like crazy if I have a book or two around.

Quirk 5: I am a procrastinator. Doesn't matter what it is- I procrastinate 95% of the time. I even procrastinated finding a doctor for AJU5. I didn't find one until she was in the special care nursery and they told me I had to have an appointment set up before they would discharge her.

Quirk 6: Well, this is only a quirk to about 90% of the population - but I LOVE math and logic problems/puzzles.

So, I guess I will tag the following:
Becca
McMurtrey's Murch
The Young's
Rima
Sarah
And the first person who reads this bolog and hasn't been tagged yet...

Rolling Over

I remember when I wanted AJU5 to learn to roll from her back to her belly. We even practiced it quite a bit. Now I wonder why I taught her that! It is making diaper changes a lot of work these days. Almost every time she rolls over when I am getting ready to wipe her/before the clean diaper is secured. Luckily she doesn't go far and hasn't made a mess.

On another topic, she is getting more adventurous by the day. Yesterday she was practicing standing holding on with only one hand. She has also used everything and anything to pull herself up on - a file box, a computer monitor, furniture, her baby gate, me, pillows... She still needs falls more than sits down, but hey - it is a lot of work to do squats!

Better than Last Year!

Last year, I was sick on my birthday. I thought I had the stomach bug. When I wasn't throwing up, I was on the couch or bed sleeping. I ate very little and drank mostly Gatorade all day. I found out 3 days later I had a kidney infection, most likely caused by AJU5's position (pinching some tubes). I got to spend 2 days in the hospital.

One year later I think back on those days. When I realized I had a kidney infection I was scared. I wanted the baby that was inside of me... That hadn't been true two months before when I found out I was pregnant... AJU5 was not planned... we had wanted to wait a few more years... There were days I prayed for a miscarriage. But when I got sick, I was worried about the little one inside of me. I had come to accept the pregnancy... I had accepted the role of mother.

Old...

As my husband put it last night at church, I am three decades old today. I remember when I though 16 was old... then it was 21.. then 25... now I am 30 and don't know what is old. Many of my friends are older than me. I am the youngest of 4, and the one closest to me will turn 35 this year... My brother will be 41 in a few weeks... my other sister will be 39 later this year... But then I think of my husband's brothers... they are 26, 19, and 17... I remember when I started teaching here at the CC almost 5 years ago. Most of my students were about my age or older. Now more are younger than me (although I still have those that are older). It is crazy how things change when we aren't thinking about them!

AJU5 did sleep fairly well last night though. She only woke me up a few times. But, she was awake before 6 this morning... normally it is 6:30 before she is awake. It didn't matter much - I have work today so I had to get up around 6 anyways...

Lesson Learned/Remembered this Morning: Rice cereal mixed with my milk thins out when left to sit...

Questions for the Commenters:
1. Should I try watermelon or carrots with AJU5 next? We did bananas this past week (just mashed)...
2. What is your experience with the word "old?"

Busy Week!

We have had a busy week. First, we had VBS from 10am to 2pm. We also had the normal house work to do as well (we are currently working on tiling AJU5's bathroom and replacing the sliding glass door to the office). Then, my parents were here Wednesday night through this morning. My mom can get on our nerves easily (she gets on my siblings nerves too - and my dad completely understands our frustrations with her), so that added to the busy-ness.

We went out to eat last night in honor of my birthday (which is Monday). I decided to go to the same place we went last year. But, unlike last year, I didn't throw up at the restaurant (in the bathroom). I ended up having a kidney infection then - but it took until Monday night/Tuesday morning to figure that out. I thought it had been just a stomach bug (as did my doctors' office when I called Monday morning because I had thrown up so much). So, I have vowed to have a better birthday this year!

AJU5 is getting more adventurous. She pulled herself up on the entertainment center this morning. She also got over her dislike of grass - as evidenced by her pulling it out and eating it at church during VBS. Because yesterday was also water games at VBS, she got to spend time in a swimming pool for the first time - well - first time with water in it. She seemed to enjoy it. Hopefully this week I can take her to the pool so she can really play. I might also buy her a pool of her own...

Sorry this post is so scatter-brained. AJU5 has not been sleeping well at night (lots of cries and wimpers in her sleep), so I am tired...

Here is a picture of her in the grass at VBS...

7 Months Old!

AJU5 is 7 months old today! And she spent 4 hours of it at VBS. She seemed to have fun (although there is nothing geared towards her). She got to sleep, crawl, and play. Plus, she got lots of attention! Here are two great pictures from the day. The second one contains her friend E who is 9 months older than her.

Green Beans and Freeze-Dried Apples!

AJU5 had her first green beans yesterday. I made them the same way I made the peas - steam, puree with steaming water, and freeze in ice cube trays. Although the first bite or two was met with a weird face, she did eat as much as normal (one-two cubes). I also froze a few whole steams green beans that I plan on giving her in the next few days to play with.

Next week our church is doing VBS. It is four hours long - including lunch. So, I thought she might like some finger food to snack on (she normally doesn't eat lunch, but she does like to grab our food at dinner). So during a trip to Target on Tuesday, I bought her some freeze-dried apples. I gave her a few Tuesday night and last night at dinner. She plays with them more than eats them. To get her to eat them, I have to put them in her mouth actually. But, they do keep her occupied!

Feeding herself peas...

Considering what to do with the freeze-dried apple


Trying to get the apple piece in her mouth

Vertical!

We are at the office today because I had to meet a student. After meeting with the student, I decided to hang around for about 30 minutes until my office mate was done with class (she hasn't seen AJU5 in a few weeks). So, we went to the main office to hang out the the secretaries, et al. She was crawling around and keeping them entertained when our scheduler came in. He decided to see if she could stand up. So, we put her bottle and a "toy" she was playing with on a box. She considered kneeling (which she has done before), but wasn't sure. So, I helped her to the kneeling position. Then, with just a hand behind to make sure she didn't fall down, she stood up on her own! Her hands were still on the box - but she was standing up! She is also scooting a little bit when standing, so before too long she will be cruising... uh oh!

Will it ever end?

We are on night three of sleeping issues. First it was the fireworks, then it was God's fireworks (thunder and lightning). Last night it was teeth followed by a dog this morning (see end for dog story). AJU5's top teeth are almost through. You can see the white lines just under the gums. So, she was very cranky last night. She went down early (7:45), but woke up around 8:45. I fed her and tried to put her back to sleep. I let her cry, I tried to feed her, and neither worked. I didn't want to hold her because I knew she would fall asleep in my arms but then have issues laying her own bed. Finally my husband held her. Then he mentioned her teeth (we had looked at them before church, but I had completely forgotten about them! BAD MOMMY). So, I went and got her teething tablets. When she cried again, I gave them to her. After a little bit (it was about 9:45 at this point), I realized she might want a topping off before falling asleep. So I took her, let her eat and she crashed. I was able to get her back in her bed without waking up. But, she did wake up more than normal during the night. So she spent a lot of the night in my arms in bed.

Now for the dog - at 5:30 this morning AJU5 and I both woke up to a dog barking. AJU1 was just finishing getting ready for work, so when he came into the room I mentioned that I wanted to kill the dog. He looked at the window and realized the dog was in our yard and it was having a turf war with the big orange cat. Now, neither of these two are ours. So, they were fighting over property that neither of them is technically owners of. Eventually the dog quieted down (I don't know who won), but we were both too awake at that point... So it was cranky AJU5 this morning... lack of sleep plus teeth will do that to a baby!

Baby Blogger- My Views of the 4th of July

Hi, it is AJU5 here. Since I have been writing emails since I was one month old, Mommy thought I was big enough to write my own blog entry too. Yesterday was the 4th of July. I have been told that it is the day we celebrate our country's independence, but I am not sure what independence is yet (come on - I am only 6 months old - I can't even feed myself yet!). What I do know is that fireworks look cool but the noise is very annoying when one is trying to sleep! Everything was normal until about 9:00. I started to hear a bunch of bangs! At first I would just whimper and go back to sleep, but then they came more often! Eventually I got fussy enough that Mommy got me out of bed and held me. First we tried to spend time in the chair just relaxing, but the noises kept coming! So, we walked around and I go to see the lights from the windows. They sure did look nice. But, the ones that make the loud noises I didn't see... and those are the ones I don't like! Eventually Mommy and I laid down in bed. I laid on her tummy until I was completely asleep. Eventually Mommy put me next to her, but I spent very little time in my bed last night. Mommy tried a few times, but my schedule was all messed up. I woke up a few times just to be held - instead of the normal waking up to be fed issues. Luckily today is a new day and I have almost forgotten about the issues last night.

Oh - for fun news! I can crawl a little bit now. I make it about 2-3 crawls and then land on my belly. I think I am faster this way. Also, I have discovered the fun of a tongue! I have been playing with it quite a bit this morning. Well, I better go know. My toys are waiting to be played with!

That Was Fun...

Door bell rings. I go to the window to see who it is and see the Fed Ex truck in front of the house. So, I slip on my slippers and head down the stairs (no carpet on stairs yet - so shoes are needed). I open the door and see the Fed Ex man back at his truck and then notice the package be post. I step out to get the package and the door shuts... I check the door - and it is shut and locked! AJU5 is upstairs, in her pack-n-play, but awake (I heard her before I went downstairs). So, I go get the mail (because I don't want the FedEx man to see be breaking into my own house). He is still there, so I head to the back yard. I first try the sliding glass door downstairs. I get the first door and open the second one (for some reason the past owner put two doors in the same opening) until it runs into the board we have in the track. I try to squish my way through before I realize that isn't going to work (I can't get all of my leg through - how am I going to get my head through?). So, then I try the windows. Luckily we have some open because we have swamp coolers that require venting. I try to get the screen off of the open one, and it is stuck. SO I try another one. The screen comes off but the window is locked. I check the other windows, but I can't get the screens off. So, I go back to the first one (because it is an old window we are planning on replacing) and try again. I also try the door again. Finally, I get the screen off and open the window so I can slip through. Then I have to work around everything because that is where we have a lot of construction stuff stored. Finally I get to the door and open it so I can get the package...

Lesson Learned: Don't even step outside with the door open if it isn't unlocked!

This Would Have Been Easier A Year Ago...

I caught the wonderful stomach bug this past weekend. I have been fighting stomach issues since the middle of the night on Sunday. Unfortunately, I can't just lay in bed and rest. AJU5 will have only so much time on the bed. So, I have camped out in what will be our bedroom with the laptop and pillows. She has toys in here and a lot of room to play. But, she seems to like to play with the laptop the most. I keep having to figure out what she has hit and undo it. But, we are getting by!

On to more fun things:
She can hold her bottle now if she wants to. Key words - Wants to! Sometimes she still makes AJU1 or myself hold it for her.
She did great at Costco on Tuesday in the big kid seat on the cart. We had tried it before at Lowes and such, but never at Costco. Plus, on the other attempts, she melted by the end. This time she was happy even when we got out to the car!
She has figured out how to get her hands on the top of the step into the dining room. She even got off her knees and up on her feet yesterday. She also managed to get into an almost seated position there once - I am glad she didn't try to sit though because she probably would have knocked her head on the entertainment center right behind her!

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Peas!

AJU5 hasn't been eating too many solids lately. I keep trying to get her to eat, but she only has been taking about a third of what she used to. This morning was different. I had one last serving of apples left, so I made her her usual apples and barley. When she had finished the bowl (one cube apples, one cube apple juice, and one tablespoon barley), she wasn't full yet. So, I defrosted a cube of peas (which I made on Sunday). She wasn't sure about the peas to begin with - as the first bite came right back out. But, before too long she was eating them. She only ate about half of the cube, but I think she was full and getting tired (she is napping now after a topping off of nursing). We will try the peas again tonight. The current plan is to give her peas at night and apples in the morning (I need to make more apples and apple juice this afternoon). Since she is only eating about 1/3 of what she used to eat at night, I don't think it is going to plug her up too much. On that note, it seems to be getting better. She is taking the apple juice more, and I think that is helping. Hopefully it won't get worse again!

Recipe/Directions for Peas:
Steam peas for about 10 minutes
Put peas in blender with a spoonful or two of the water from the steaming.
Blend until smooth
Pour into ice cube trays and freeze.
I got about 20 cubes out of the batch I made, so we should be good for a while!

Up Next: Green Beans!

Mobile - But Not Crawling Just Let

AJU5 is mobile now. She can move forward and backwards as well as change direction. She isn't crawling, but is almost there. She gets up on her hands and knees, moves her arms forward, and then pushes with her feet until she is back on her belly. She continues this until she gets what she wants. It is kind of fun to watch her do this, and I am starting to make her come to me when she wants up (only one lunge distance though). Part of me is wanting her to crawl for real, but then the other part of me realizes it is nice that I can leave her somewhere and pretty much guarantee she won't have gone far. Once she starts crawling for real we will have to remember to put the gate up!

We have also determined she does not like prunes! The apple prune juice did not stay down the two times I gave it to her, so I won't try it again. Last night she get tired early, so she didn't want to eat much of her cereal. The not wanting to eat was discovered after (a) I split her juice all over the table trying to mix it into the cereal (b) while going to get a sponge to clean the juice up with she got a hold of her bowl and knocked it on the floor making a bigger mess. So, I was happy to figure out she was tired (about 45 minutes earlier than normal) and she went down easily. AJU1 and I actually went to bed when she normally does because we were both tired too.

Happy Baby - I Don't Think So...

Today I was in an 2-3 hour meeting at work. There were only 5 of us there, and the only other female has a 13 month old son. She said AJU5 is so happy and cooperative... I think she is better than some babies, but she does behave better around company I think. She likes the attention - end of story. If she is getting attention, she will be happy and pleasant. If she isn't getting attention - and she wants it - she will be very cranky. There are a few times when she likes to be alone - when she doesn't want me to hold her - but these are at most once a day and last for about 15-30 minutes (when she is in her exersaucer).

Now on to the cranky part - I think she is constipated. Her poo is very thick. I tried apple juice - didn't help much. So today I bought some apple-prune juice (Gerber). Since I have no idea how to make prune juice (I don't like prunes...), I decided buying it would be easier. She has drank about 3 ounces of it, but she has spit some of that up. She has actually spit up more this evening following the juice than ever before. So, tomorrow I think I will skip the morning solids and go back to the once-a-day solids until this issues is resolved. She grunts a lot, and some ties they are followed by cries, so I know it doesn't feel good. Hopefully it will relieve itself in a few days. Then I will give her a week before we try two solids again...

Apples...

I think she is still getting used to two meals (of solids) a day. It takes two sittings to get through her morning apples with a tablespoon of oatmeal as a thickener (I had to add water to make the blender work). But, she does eat it all. This afternoon I am going to start apple juice because she seems a little constipated. We have a juicer, so I will just make my own. I think I will try out the sippy cups, but I might have to revert to the bottle (which she will drink about 1 oz of at a time).

So - time for some advice from some of you...
How long did you breastfeed?
How did you transition?

I am planning on breastfeeding until she is at least a year old, but I keep thinking about when I will stop, etc.