Baby Bembón

Clara's first birthday

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:29:00 +0000

Clara is one!

(yay!!)

This month we've been dealing with her changing sleep schedule. Some
days she is like the "good old days" when she goes to bed with very
little fuss after our standard bed routine (bath, bottle, book (brush
teeth) then sleep. Some days (especially with the lost hour this past
weekend) she stays up til 9 PM (or later!), tired but refusing to
sleep unless there is someone in the room with her. The cry-it-out
technique doesn't work too well because she has figured how to make
herself throw up when she gets very upset (and who wants a baby to
pass out from exhaustion in their own spit up? so we have to go in and
change all the sheets etc if it gets to this point). The good news is
she is sleeping 12 hour blocks with a good 3 hour nap.

We started a new activity for Clara--gym class! It was awesome the
first night since she came home so exhausted she went right to bed (no
such luck after tonight's class). She is the youngest in the class
(the only time we could attend is really meant for slightly older
babies--or at least babies who walk well, and Clara is still in the
cruising stage.) We have a circle activity (she spends a fair amount
of time studying the other kids and pointing out the pictures of
cookie monster and elmo on the walls). Afterwards, there are a few
obstacle courses, her favorite is a little sloped bridge with handles
on each side, so she can "walk" without our support by holding on to
the rails. She is not a big fan of the parachute game afterwards
(afraid when it falls to close to her head) but loves the bubbles and
stamp at the end. They sang "Happy Birthday" on Tuesday and she got
a special birthday stamp :)

One of the many late nights, Clara was sitting up in her crib and out
of no where started clapping. She started giggling and I shouted for
Jason to come up and see (he has been trying to teach her this for
several months). She loves to point, especially to photos of us. She
is always wanting to know what things are called, using the universal
"grunt and point." She loves to learn, always trying to "read" a book
(aka turn pages, point to things and talk to herself). She has
learned how to use her stacking colored "doughnuts." She watches a
few minutes of Elmo every day and on weekends watches a little "Dora
la exploradora" on the Spanish channel. Most of the time though, she
would rather be exploring her world, and especially Picaso's cage. We
haven't purchased and push/pull toys yet, but she still manages to
push everything she can. She likes to climb the stairs (but can't go
downstairs yet). She's a busy girl these days!

Clara remains a good eater, still eating whatever we eat (she's a big
fan of tomato sauce). We haven't really transitioned to a cup yet
(she does use a cup with a straw and I guess we'll have to make the
transition sooner than later) and I think the bedtime bottle will be
the last to go (our crutch to get her to sleep). She can use a spoon
when she wants to (ie. when she is hungry) but other times will just
throw the spoon to the ground knowing that we'll feed her and she
doesn't have to go through the hassle of bringing the spoon to her
mouth.

Yesterday we went to the pediatrician's office for her well-child check
and some shots (poor thing). She cried but forget about it when the doctor handed her a Little Mermaid band-aid. Her growth percentiles were 95th for height and 75th for weight so she is healthy growing baby.

adventures in separation anxiety

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:40:00 +0000

So Clara use to sleep without much difficulty, bottle, book, blanket, bed. (Altogether we use to spend about a half hour winding down together). We use to walk out when she was still awake but starting to get sleepy.

Well, that all changed about a week ago when instead of just falling asleep on her own when we left the room, she cries non-stop til we return. Standing up, screaming, and inconsolable. Part of the problem could be Clara being sick with a cold. She doesn't even want to be held,just wants to have one of us close to her crib. Last night I tried the standard "cry it out" thing for about 15 minutes and when I went back into the room she was in the middle of tasting fingers in her mouth. Unfortunately these same fingers triggered her gag reflex just in time to get vomit all over me.

The other thing is that she use to sleep 12 hours, regardless of what time she'd go to bed she'd stay in bed for 12 hours. Now, doesn't matter how late she goes to bed, she is always up by 7:30 AM (sometimes with dark circles under her eyes).

The one good thing is that overall she stays asleep once she falls asleep but the 30 minute routine has ballooned into a 2.5 hr routine. Eventually she finally falls asleep, but it's definitely a struggle. I stay in the room with her sometimes and be asleep myself by 7:30 only to wake up close to 8 PM and see her still wide awake, standing, and slightly fussing.

Any one else notice changes in their sleep patterns when your ittle one was around one year old?

11 months old

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:29:00 +0000

Clara is almost 11 months old!

She is getting more and more mobile. She seems to know that wooden floors are fun to crawl on, army crawling along on her tummy. She also likes to stand up and use the bars to hold onto as she walks laps inside her crib. She loves to “dance” and clap and point and sing (a very high pitched sound).

At meal times her food is scooped up into a spoon and placed on her high chair tray, then she has to put the spoon into her mouth. It’s a lot messier than when we feed her, but she does a decent job (sometimes she goes on strike and throws the spoon on the floor, knowing she’ll get spoon fed by one of us). She eats pretty much everything (we’re holding off on peanuts and eggs for now), the other night she had lasagna (she loved it) and sweet potatoes. Trying to get her to use a cup is a little more challenging, not sure if all the coordination is there yet, she can hold the cup to her mouth but sometimes misses her mouth and pours the liquid on her chin instead (we are using only water til she masters this, as milk would be even more of a mess to clean).

Her schedule has changed quite a bit, mostly as she is down to one nap per day. She wakes up after 12 hours of sleeping (usually around 8 AM or so), gets a bottle of milk then oatmeal (with cinnamon and bananas, yum!) and of course cheerios (the staple finger food). Then she gets bundled up to go out for a walk. Wednesdays is her walk to the library for Story Hour. She comes home and plays a little, often on the floor covered with mats so it’s not as hard to sit on. Around 11:30 AM she gets lunch, often a mushed up vegetable, then a fruit and maybe little pieces of cheese mixed with her cheerios. Then it’s nap time from 12 to 3 (although the first hour is often spent cruising inside the crib until she wears herself out and falls asleep). Upon waking up she is given another bottle and sits down to play again. (and of course the afternoon walk for Picaso’s sake). I get home around 5:30 and we get ready for dinner. Afterwards she gets a bath then a bottle, followed by a futile attempt of brushing her teeth (she use to like this now pushes the brush out with her tongue) a short story, then she is left to fall asleep.

We’re relieved she’s not walking yet as we still (I know I know) have not baby-proofed. But, she is under almost constant supervision so if and when she does take her first steps, one of us will be there to watch and start frantically getting things out of her way!

10 months old

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:41:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3zlfai7tZQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09c14C7TvM4

Clara turned 10 months old a couple of days ago. To celebrate, she

stood up for the first time (pulling herself onto the couch). She is

able to sit without any assistance (and spends much of her "nap" time

sitting up in her crib playing and trying to stand up in her crib).

We still have to get the house baby-proofed (how long have I been

saying that now?) but it seems that she may soon be more mobile.

We are trying to teach her to feed herself. She is getting pretty

good at spoon-feeding herself (especially when she's hungry, when

she's full she tends to just play with the spoon) and can drink out of

a cup, but isn't very good at holding the cup (not surprising since

she doesn't hold her own bottle) so when she tries to give herself a

drink it ends up on her chin rather than her mouth (so close, but so

far away). Good thing her bumpkins bibs are so easy to clean up (and

they catch the extra liquid in the front pocket).

Clara's favorite book is "Are you my mother?" which she carries around

with her (and likes to "read" by flipping the pages and whispering the

story to herself). She also likes anything by Eric Carle (known for

his "hungry catepillar" book). We go to the library every other week

and she is allowed to pick out two books (I pick out the other eight).

Her selections are often interesting (her very first one a few months

ago was on the Passover. This week one of them was one we had

previously checked out a few weeks ago, "Sheila Rae's Peppermint

Stick" by Kevin Henkes).

The weather has improved a bit this past week so we can go out for long walks

again (she loves being outside). On colder days she mainly hangs out

on the porch with Jason to feed the birds. We are now using the

"backpack" feature of the Ergo Carrier. It is still quite comfortable

(despite her almost 22 lbs) but I'm apprehensive about getting her out

of it (easiest to do when standing above a soft surface, like a couch

or the bed).

Clara's official first word seems to be "Itaac" (her grandfather's

name is Isaac), although it's probably a tie with "Da-da" (ma-ma would

be a far distant third, she tends to use it only when she's really

upset, like getting her diaper changed when she'd rather keep

playing).

She continues to sleep well, up to 12 hours per night, but her naps

have become brief, some days even non-existent. She naps much

better for Jason, twice a day for 30 minutes to max of 2 hours per

nap. I am lucky if I can get her to nap once for an hour (while

carrying her in the Ergo carrier). When I do try to get her to nap

in her crib, she appears to be falling asleep then will sit up and

giggle and fight sleep by playing in her crib. Once she has become

completely exhausted she'll often pass out still in the sitting

position but head down against the mattress.

Jason has posted some video of Clara's crib antics and of her first

day standing up!

From the sketchbook

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:03:00 +0000

Here's a few gesture studies of Clara during playtime.

9-months

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Clara is officially 9 months old!

Per the pediatrician, she is in the 75th percentile for weight and
height (she looks quite tall compared to her standard sized crib!)

We visited the relatives in Iowa last week. Clara loved meeting with
her cousins! Her first night in town she was so excited she couldn't
fall asleep and kept on wanting to play with them (til 1 AM her
time!!) She was given a glow-worm which reminded me of the one I had
when I was little. She loves this toy and intently stares at it when
it plays its brief lullaby. When visiting her other cousins she was a
little sleepy from the day before, but still seemed to be awake enough
to become wide-eyed at her new Sesame street cell phone and remote
control (she loves these and I save them for changing time to keep her
occupied).

What a difference a month makes! While in Iowa she learned to wave
goodbye!! She loves interacting with people, even strangers in the
airport (I've heard this will change once "Stranger anxiety" takes
over). Yesterday Jason walked into her room and found her sitting up
completely on her own (she will still throw herself backwards so we
worry she'll hit her head, but so far so good). She likes to play on
her own, playing with her stacking cups (ie. banging them together) or
in her exersaucer (lent to us by a friend). She is almost an expert
at picking up cheerios with her thumb and index finger. She enjoys
whatever solids she is given (most recently she had Channa Masala with
silvered almonds and lemon rice, they were ground up using our Food
Mill). She has two little teeth (and loves having them brushed,
hopefully she'll enjoy flossing too when she is a little older).

She does not crawl, but rather rolls towards whatever object she wants
that is out of reach. She is able to cruise but not pull herself up
to stand, so we are still able to keep a good eye on her. We have had
our gates for 1 month now but still haven't installed them! In the
meanwhile, we're determined to get baby proofed before another month
passes by.

from Snug ride to Britax

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Clara is 8 months old!

Clara has officially graduated from her Graco Snug Ride to her Britax
Roundabout. She weighs about 20 lbs. We recently purchased
her winter wardrobe at "Tried but True" a good children's second hand store
(much more affordable than buying them brand new!). We also purchased her first pair
of shoes from Run Kai Run (thanks to my mom for the gift!) which stay
on great as she “walks” all around the house. She loves to chase
after Picaso (poor dog!) and is small enough to fit into his cage so
she likes to hold onto his cage entrance (while I hover right next to
her making sure she doesn’t fall).

She is happy to be sitting in her pack-and-play by herself, playing
with her stacking rings and toy cell phone. (She has a bad habit of
just throwing herself backwards when she gets tired of sitting so we
put her boppy pillow in back of her just in case). She still loves
Elmo, especially watching “elmo’s song” on YouTube. Jason knows her
daily routine better, but when she’s with me, after getting some milk
in the AM, she has some cereal (oatmeal) and plays with cheerios on
her high chair tray. The ones that miss her mouth end up on the
floor! She finishes breakfast with more milk then heads off for her
morning walk in the ergo carrier or her stroller (depending on the
weather). We read a book together then dance to her Spanish
CDs and she usually gets tired so she gets a bottle and takes a nap.
The afternoon quickly passes by with dinner (we use the KidCo FoodMill
to grind whatever we’re eating, often spaghetti), Yo Baby yogurt, and
more cheerios!

The best part of the day is whenever she smiles or laughs. She often
gets to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 PM and will stay asleep for 12
hours (but this is the average! On daylight savings night she slept
14.5 hrs!! A couple of days ago she woke up at 2 AM but went back to
sleep in a few minutes).

She still puts everything and anything in her mouth, from her bib to
her washcloth to her onesie, it all goes to the the same spot. She is truly a delight!

NYC snippets

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Clara is seven months old.

We took a short trip to New York City recently to visit a
friend and to attend a conference. I was impressed at how easy going
Clara was during the hectic commute. When we arrived in NYC, we had
25 minutes to walk to the hotel, check in, and then I had to meet up
with the group working on the presentation. We walked one mile from
the train station to the hotel. I had Clara in her Ergo baby carrier
and Jason had our luggage and the baby car seat. As we quickly walked
down 7th Avenue, Clara was quiet and looking at all the bright lights.
Many New Yorkers smiled at her. The hotel provided us with a small
crib which they helped us set up. While I was at my meeting Jason
helped her get to sleep, which she did despite the unfamiliar
surroundings. She slept through the night, which was great
considering the previous four nights she had been waking up around 3
AM for no particular reason.

Jason and Clara walked around Central Park until it began to rain.
Then they headed for St. Patrick's church (I guess that would be her
patron saint since she was born on St. Patrick's day). In the
afternoon we took her first subway trip to Brooklyn to visit our
friends who had just had a baby. Their baby was only 2 days old. We
had forgotten how little she had been (considering she is now almost
19 pounds) but it all came rushing back when we saw their newborn.
She happily ate her Yo Baby yogurt (she hums the entire time she
eats), and we headed back to the hotel. She wasn't shy, when she
wanted a passengers attention she would tap them on the shoulder!

We rushed from the hotel to get to the train station on time. The
taxi we took didn't even give us the chance to install her car seat.
Another cab nearly collided with him and he loudly cursed at the
driver, Clara's eyes grew big but she didn't cry. At this point it
was an hour past her bedtime but she was patient as we waited to board
the train. She fussed a little and went to sleep on the train.
Actually, we all went to sleep which became a problem because the
train stopped only a couple of minutes in Baltimore and we had to
almost run to get off in time. The taxi to our house was more patient
and we made sure to put in her car seat. She was quiet the entire
time, until we got to her room then she finally felt free to protest
over the long day and hectic commute. All was forgotten in the
morning when she woke up smiling.

She is making so many new sounds these days. Sometimes it sounds like
real words. For instance, she does not like having a shirt pulled
over her head and usually fusses when we change her onesies. As I
changed her today it sounded like she said, "I hate that." I looked
over at Jason and he agreed, it did sound like that (we know she
probably didn't know what she was babbling, but certainly it matched
how she felt!).

On Jason's birthday we went to the zoo for the first time with her. There was only an hour left til closing so we rushed around trying to see as many
exhibits as possible before it closed. As we watched the chimpanzees
calmly groom themselves we were surpised to see the eldest male chimp
begin to swing from the ropes. The chimp seemd to forget the window was
there, and crashed into it. Thankfully, the window held up. This embarrassment seemed to make him mad because he swung around and forcefully began to pound on the window just one foot away from where Clara was sitting in her stroller. Clara quizically stared at him but did not cry and he turned his back to us once more.

The days now seem to rush by. She can now sit without support and can
sometimes sit up (from lying position) without help. She always wants
to explore and seems frustrated with her lack of mobility (which is a
relief to Jason and myself since we have yet to purchase baby gates
and other baby proofing devices). She can stand by herself holding
onto her crib railing and enjoys jumping on our laps and gives us a
toothless grin whenever she sees us. We are blessed to have her in
our lives!

High Chair

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:18:00 +0000

We finally set up her high chair (the Space Saver kind which
can fit on a standard size chair) and had our first meal
together as a family. This seems like the third time in 6 months that
Jason and I had a meal together! She happily ate her Stage 1 carrots
while we ate leftovers. We're still trying to find a routine
regarding her feeding schedule (especially now that she is eating
"solids").

We had another swimming lesson yesterday. Clara continues to enjoy the water,
even practicing her kicking during bathtime :)

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Today was Clara's six month appointment and her growth in terms of weight, head circumference, and length were in the 75 percentile or greater range. Not that these measurements matter, but for newby parents as ourselves, the peace of mind that your baby is healthy and growing is reassuring. I guess were doing something right.

6 months

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:04:00 +0000

Clara will be six months old tomorrow!

Yesterday was her first day of swimming “class.” We arrived at the
pool surrounded by other parents and their babies waiting for class to
begin. We were worried she might be fussy because she has a habit
lately of taking a nap around 6 PM (yes, we know this is very late
and probably contributes to her later bedtime of 8:30 PM, but when a
baby is sleepy, forcing her to stay awake doesn’t seem like a good
idea either). She was so calm, quietly studying the others around her
and staring at the pool. When it was time to get into the pool with
her daddy, she remained the same way while other babies next to her
were loudly protesting their pool time. She was mighty surprised the
first time her head was underwater (for just a few seconds with the
help of the instructor). I wish I had a video camera with me to have
taped it. Her eyes lit up when the instructor gave her an Elmo bath
toy to play with in the pool. (We’ll have to get an elmo doll at some
point, she a big fan).

Now that she can sit up for several minutes on her own, she enjoys
playing more. She doesn’t need anything fancy, a plastic spoon and
empty taco box will do. She is slowly getting accustomed to rice
cereal (mixed with half-strength pear juice as recommended by her
pediatrician), I think tonight we’ll try pured sweet potatoes.

Turns out the lactose-free formula we were using was discontinued, so
we did a trial of the regular stuff she use to use and things are
going okay despite introducing lactose (she gets 2 to 6 oz
supplementation while I’m away).

This weekend we had fun recreating a baby photo of Jason’s. He
doesn’t have very many baby pics but we do have a copy of one when he
was about Clara’s age. We purchased an outfit to closely match his,
when you see them side by side, the resemblance is quite evident!

Given how much she likes watching our dog, Picaso, she may be ready
for the nearby zoo sometime soon. Maybe next month?

She has yet to learn to roll from her stomach to her back, but no
longer wakes up crying when she accidentally rolls on her stomach.
She continues to sleep through the night about 10 to 11 hours on
average with a couple of brief naps ranging from 30 minutes to 2
hours. We haven’t given her much “potty time” because she doesn’t
have stools very often (even before we started the rice cereal), but
we’ll have to get back into that routine so she can be comfortable
someday when she is ready to use it on a regular basis.

Her weight hasn’t changed in almost 1 month (about 17.5 lbs) so I’m
hoping things are okay when we see the pediatrician next week for her
shots.

5 months

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:37:00 +0000

Clara is 5 months, officially yesterday!

She has mastered the art of transferring objects from one hand to
another. She is almost ready to sit up, she will support herself with
her arm to stay up, or sometimes she just tips over, poor thing, still
getting the balance thing figured out. She can kinda walk, if she is
supported underneath her arms she can take small steps forward. She
needs a lot more entertainment than before, she gets bored quickly.
If she is in a fussy mood, she can be calmed down by sitting on the
porch, she likes to stare at the birds and flowers. She is becoming
increasing shy, if she is around anyone other than myself, Jason, or
my parents, she becomes very quiet and hides her face in my shoulder.
When she's around people she knows, she likes to laugh and squeal.
She now sleeps through the night (ever since 4.5 months old), anywhere
from 10 to 13 hours. She typically only naps twice a day (the length
depends, sometimes only 30 minutes, sometimes 3 hours).

She is very interested in food, but we're waiting til she is 6 months
old before starting her on rice cereal. In the meanwhile, she loves
putting anything she can into her mouth! Her favorite is her blanket,
she'll shove a whole corner into her mouth. (So I guess even though
she's not been into pacifiers she's found other things to pacify
herself with).

Spinning around the crib

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:47:00 +0000

So Clara is now 4 months old. She has been suffering from watery
diarrhea for 2 weeks now. The doctors suspect lactose intolerance so
she is on a special lactose free formula and I am banned from milk
products except my lactaid milk. She seems to be her usually self
except for these frequent bowel movements, and, she is no longer
napping/sleeping as nicely as she once did. She use to have 3 naps a
day and is now down to one good nap (1-2 hrs long) and maybe a 5 to 15
minute nap in addition to that one. The past couple of nights it has
taken almost 2 hrs to get her to sleep even though she is clearly
sleepy (yawning, rubbing her eyes). Not sure if this is related to
the diarrhea or just part of her keeping us guessing. One thing that
is amusing during all this is how she'll spin around in her crib
clutching her favorite Aden and Adonis blankets (gifted by our friends
Cyndi and Al). What I love about these blankets is that they are very
sheer and soft, so that even in this warm weather (her room is like 79
degrees), she can tolerate the blanket and because it is so sheer, if
she covers her face accidentally (which she'll do with her bib and
wake up) she can still breathe easily. She is rather distractible
these days, has trouble focusing during breast feeding so I find
myself having to pump more often, even on weekends. She is now big
enough to use the Ergo Carrier without the infant insert (which is a
relief because the insert made her so hot). She's almost 15 pounds
which means we'll no longer be able to use our bassinet features on
the pack and play crib (too bad because this has been a very
convenient feature, I'm still not clear why she can't keep on using it
as currently she can't roll over or climb out of it).

She loves her mobile (Fisher Price - Rainforest Musical Mobile) and it
has become incorporated into her bedtime routine, that in addition to
her "bouncy ball" (aka an exercise ball we bounce on until she gets
drowsy).

Hopefully by the next post her diarrhea will be all gone and she'll be
back to using her potty again!

almost 4 months

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:20:00 +0000

So our baby is almost 4 months old (!)

She used the potty for the first time earlier this week! (Of course,
she has to be held as she cannot sit on her own).

She enjoys talking in the evening, around 7 PM and tells me all about
her day with daddy. She likes to watch TV (terrible I know, she likes
"the Simpsons" according to Jason but I try to stick with the
"educational" stuff (like "C is for Cookie" by Cookie Monster on
Sesame Street). I know she's probably not suppose to be watching TV
either way, but if it is on in the background, she is absolutely
mesmerized. Jason reads to her every day, by the time I get home
she's usually not in the mood for books.

Jason has worked his magic and has gotten her to sleep on her own!! I
can't believe it. She is sleeping in her "big girl" crib. (The pack
and play is only used briefly, like when we're changing her and need
to wash our hands!). She still wakes up around 4:30 AM, but sleeps at
least 5 straight hours and returns to sleep for another 5 hours. This
is her first week with this kind of schedule so I am hoping that as
she grows older she won't even need the middle of the night feed.

Maybe sometime soon she'll learn to sleep by 7 PM (rather than 10 or
11) so Jason and I can finally have a meal together! Oh well, one
thing at a time, right?

Helen's pregnancy timeline

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:11:00 +0000

I finally managed to finish this little video piece for Helen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X0KQYgAHO8

Baby talk

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:32:00 +0000

This morning Clara begin talking.... well actually Clara was putting together a set of sounds(gurgles and aaaahs)that are definitely responsive and different. We can't have a conversation, but Clara is trying her hardest to put together a word but her little neurons in her brain that send the signals from brain to tongue don't put strings of sounds together in adult speak yet.

But with baby talk, she's doing great. Neither Helen or I speak monkey so we will just have to be watch this exciting development unfold.

11 weeks old

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:32:00 +0000

Post by Helen:

Baby Clara is almost 11 weeks old now! I can’t believe how quickly
time flies. I’ve been meaning to make a journal entry for weeks but
it’s very hard to find any time at home. I’ve been back at work since
she was 6 weeks old. I feel guilty on weekends since I don’t spend as
much time with her during the week so I pretty much spend 24/7 with
her on weekends. I must admit, sometimes I feel like she’s holding me
hostage. She’ll be holding onto me, comfort nursing, and if I try to
pull away she whimpers and starts to wake up. On the plus side, the
old saying “sleep when the baby sleeps” means that I catch up with
sleep on the weekends. On the down side, I don’t get anything done on
weekends (laundry, cleaning, or exercising). Sometimes I can manage
to read a journal for work by holding it up with one hand. I can’t
even catch up with friends on the phone because she does not like for
me to talk on the phone when I’m holding her. I don’t know if others
have this problem or not. I guess I should try “wearing” my baby on
the weekends (we do have an ergo carrier which is great and makes it
easy to carry her) BUT she gets hot so easily and the carrier is a bit
warm. This morning on my way to work I could hear that she was crying
even after Jason gave her 4 ounces of breastmilk I had pumped earlier
(at 4 AM while she was still asleep—did I mention how much work it is
to breastfeed and keep my milk supply?). I felt so bad that instead
of leaving for work, I lay down with her and let her comfort nurse so
she could get to sleep. Fortunately I didn’t have to be at work on
time today, but it’s not going to be that way in July (my schedule
changes dramatically and I’ll have to wake up early most days to be at
work around 7:30 AM).

She sleeps well, I guess. At night she’ll sleep from 9 to 10:30,
nurse, then sleep til 12:30 then til 7 AM or so (she’ll fuss a little
between 4 and 5 AM but I nurse her just a little and she’s right back
asleep, once she’s asleep I go downstairs to pump milk so she’ll have
some when I leave for work.) The problem of course is that to sleep
well she has to sleep next to me. If we put her down in her crib, she
wakes up after just a couple of hours. We have to work on getting her
to sleep on her own. (In the long run I think she’ll sleep better
because she gets hot so easily.)

I hope none of this sounds like whining or complaining because she
really is a blessing. She will flash a wide grin if I smile at her
(or if she pees on me or the changing table!) She likes to be
stimulated and will pay attention when read to or sung to. She can
stand up with support and can sit with support. (We’re even
contemplating starting to get her on the potty for #2 because she is
so predictable when she has to use the bathroom and it would seemingly
be easier to clean the potty then waste the 3 to 4 diapers she uses up
when she is doing #2). She delights in nature and likes to go on
walks and be outdoors. Okay, I’ll have to stop now because this is
making me miss her so much (and I’m suppose to try to get work done!)

Time Flies

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:51:00 +0000

I need to be better about keeping this blog updated. :) Our baby is 2 months along, over 10 pounds with and insatiable appetite, and I'm attempting to be the best Dad I can. A few weeks ago our baby developed a rash on the facial area and our pediatrician advised to use a medicated shampoo called Nizoral. It has helped tremendously.

nervous about returning to work

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:00:00 +0000

The baby finally fell asleep (giving me a couple of minutes to update this blog!). She turned 6 weeks old yesterday. So far, most of her life is spent eating and sleeping. Problem is, she only sleeps when she is being held! I go back to work tomorrow so Jason will have to figure out other ways to get her to sleep, otherwise, he will not have any down time during the day. One thing that has worked for sleep is the Ergo baby carrier. Once she has fallen asleep, I can put her in it and go out for a walk with Jason and Picaso (about the only exercise I get these days). She usually stays asleep as long as I keep moving.

I’m definitely nervous about returning to work. I don’t know what our schedule will look like (but I’m guessing both Jason and I will have to try to go to sleep much earlier to make everything go easier in the mornings). I know I will miss the baby, it was hard just being away from her for a couple of hours yesterday for my 6 week OB check up.

So far the most useful products for nursing are the Boppy Pillow and my nursing footstool (both were recommended in the Baby Bargains book, both are around $25 each and definitely worth it!!). I am also very pleased so far with my pump, Ameda Purely Yours, which is much cheaper than the Medela brand.

The baby has been gaining weight well. Yesterday she weighed 8 lbs and 4 oz. I am very happy with her weight gain and continue to closely monitor it daily with a baby scale (salter 914 Electronic Baby scale) we found on Amazon (it was half off!). Unfortunately, she has developed a rash and the pediatrician recommended a particular medicated shampoo.

That’s it for now, the next time I write, I will have already returned back to work!!

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:40:00 +0000

It's been two weeks since the baby has been born, and I sometimes think to myself "Am I really a Daddy?". There are quiet moments, when she finally sleeps within my arms that I look down in wonder. Her small breaths, slight fidgets and coos that I take in, or rather soak in and revel in the moment. As everyone tells me, the time flies so fast and there grown up.

Thoughts on Delivery

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:30:00 +0000

So the baby didn't come on her own, I was induced Monday night, 3/16.
We arrived at 10 PM but it was a busy night and we waited a couple of
hours to meet the resident who was working that night. She proposed
we work with the nurse midwife who was on, Melinda. I happily
accepted as I enjoy working with midwives. Melinda was a no-nonsense
type of person. She offered us the option to do cervidil rather than
start with the Pitocin drip but Jason convinced me to get things
moving a little faster (the Pitocin). By 12:30 AM the drip was
started and gradually titrated up over several hours. At first, I
didn't notice any additional discomfort, about 4 hours into it, I was
only about 4 cm--not much of an improvement over the 3 cm when I
arrived at the hospital. By 6:30 AM I was getting increasingly
uncomfortable. Melinda offered a pain medicine called Stadol
(butorphanol) which she promised would make me feel "loopy" which it
did (I imagined the nurse was in the room when she wasn't).

The relief was short-lived, as by 8 AM I was very uncomfortable. The
part that actually hurt was the peak of the contractions (they were
rated by the machine as a 0 to 120 in strength, the part that was from
100 to 120 was the painful part, I could deal with the intensity until
that point). By 10 AM, I had no idea how much more this part of labor
was going to continue, so I asked for the epidural. There were 5
others in line to get the epidural but because I was a "VIP" patient
(I worked at the hospital) I was bumped up to #2. The folks came in
pretty quickly--so quick there wasn't time to check my cervix, they
just wanted to get the epidural in and move on to the next in line.
Right before they put in the epidural, I had the urge to push (but
knew I shouldn't until it was confirmed I was sufficiently dilated).
After the epidural, not only did the painful contractions resolve but
I no longer had the urge to push. I was checked and found to be at 10
cm, the GYN broke my water for me. Had I known before the epidural,
I'm not certain I would have had it (all that remained was the pushing
part, but I didn't know it at the time). During the 10 hours of labor
before the epidural, hypnobabies was extremely helpful. I listened to
their CD #6 which helped me concentrate on something other than the
pain.

After a couple of hours of pushing (with the help of the OB/GYN as I
had minimal urge to push), the baby's heart beat would drop to the 80s
and 90s during contractions so they decided to get the baby out
faster, using a vacuum forceps. At 1224 baby Clara was born and was
wisked away to the pediatrician for exam since she was delivered via
forceps. It was about an hour later when I finally had the chance to
hold her and look at her. She was fair skinned with dark hair. She
cried loudly but could not be consoled. She was clearly not quite
ready to be out in the world (and had to be induced and vacuumed out
to get here!). She was small, weighing only 6 lbs 11.5 oz and 19.5
inches long.

Since then, time has flown by. I can't believe she is almost two
weeks old. She is beautiful (of course I am biased) and tiny. Even
when I super tired and she's still wide awake in the middle of the
night, the sight of her face keeps me going on. It's not easy but
she's worth the sleepless nights.

New Arrival!

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:11:00 +0000

Clara Lucia Witte
March 17th, 6 lb 12 oz. 19.5 inches long

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Today is 40 weeks and six days. The baby is being a bit stubborn. Tomorrow night we will head to the hospital for an inducement. Of course we would love the baby to have other plans,(hint you have 1 more night kid!) and nothing goes according to plan right?

'Twas the night delivery, and all through the house, baby was so comfortable he didn't want to come out.

Helen was worried but not to despair, soon we will be at the hospital for baby to be born there.

40 weeks + 2 days

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:48:00 +0000

So, I'm now 40 weeks + 2 days. Still no baby. Sunday night I was
awoken by Braxton-Hicks (aka "fake") contractions which eventually
died down by 5 AM, just enough to get a couple of hours of sleep then
heading into work (I was very tired that day). Since then, I have
been more fortunate and able to get some sleep. Yesterday was a
little exciting because the contractions started up at work, so I
needed Jason's help to get home. After a few hours of resting, they
went away. Seems like my uterus has had plenty of practice by now, so
hopefully it's just a matter of time til the "real" contractions
start. If not, I am scheduled to get a non-stress test and ultrasound
to evaluate the placenta blood flow and amniotic fluid production and
make sure the baby is not in distress (given that it's chosen to stay
inside longer than planned). If that goes well and the baby still
hasn't arrived by Monday, the plan is for induction Monday night.
Hopefully Jason will get a chance to post the 40 week picture and
maybe even the pregancy timeline some time soon :)

Photos of the baby room.

noreply@blogger.com (jjwoodee) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:57:00 +0000

Helens' official due date is today but no baby yet. Stay tuned. Here are some photos of the baby's room I worked hard to finish.