Matt's Sax-Zim Bog Photos

Just had to share these recent photos from my talented hubby. I especially love the first photo on this page - it looks like a black and white photo, although the hint of blue at the top proves it's just the ethereal fog touching everything in its grasp.

15 weeks

I'm such a big girl now I love to stand all the time!


See all my weekly photos here.

I love my fists!

Since I mentioned how she loves to suck on her fists in my last blog post, I though I would share this gorgeous photo that Matt captured Monday night:

14 weeks

We've taken a fair amount of video of Victoria, but, because we've used the video camera, sharing it is a little complicated. I haven't had the time to figure out how to download video to my computer and edit it for posting. So, unfortunately, blog followers don't get to see as much video as I would like to share. But, when Matt was in Colorado last weekend, I took this video of Victoria with my iphone to share with him. Victoria was hanging out on daddy's blanket on the bed.



She is now 14 weeks old and continues to amaze us with her smiley, happy personality. That is, happy until we do something she is really unhappy with, at which point she definitely lets us know how she feels!

Things Victoria is really unhappy with include:

• Being put into her car seat (although once it's moving, that's ok)
• Taking away her arms and legs, whether it's because her arms have to get put through sleeves or we have to hold her feet down at the doctor. She wants freedom!
• Getting put down to bed when you want to stay up and explore this fun world ... even if you haven't really napped all day and are really exhausted.
• Tummy time. I don't care if it's good for me, I don't like it.
  

Some things V is really loving right now ...

• The play mat! As mentioned above, not so much if she's on her tummy, but she loves the toys and mirror if she's on her back. As an added bonus, every time she rolls on one of the squeakers in the mat Piper tries to figure out where the dog toy is, making mom and dad laugh.
• Sitting in her bumbo.
• Standing and doing squats - anything to keep my legs moving!
• Sucking ... profusely! ... on her hands. She makes really loud slurping noises while she does this too!
• Meeting new people
• The kids at daycare
• "Talking" and being social
• Watching us say "M&M" or "nummy nummy" over and over again. Something about the motion of us making the "m" sound makes her really happy!
  

Baby Schedule

Any time an article comes to my in box relating to baby schedules, I simply have to read it. I tend to be an organized person, so the idea of schedules can certainly appeal to me. But "baby schedules" reminds me of over-scheduled kids with play dates and activities lined up for them. Who would've thought such a thing would really exist? I had to laugh at the idea of a "parent-led" schedule where I would ever be able to tell Victoria - or even predict - what times during the day she would sleep, eat, etc. And why should I? *I* don't even eat at the same times every day!

It's such a topic of discussion in the parenting world that there are books about it. And online articles. There are sample baby schedules for various ages. There are even "seven keys to creating a successful baby schedule."

Although I've rolled my eyes at the term and laughed over the article headlines, reading about baby schedules before Victoria was born certainly helped me get an idea of what to do with a baby all day. When V was born, there was a rhythm to our days more than a schedule -- probably what would be called a "baby-led" schedule. She has more structure now because of our work schedules, so perhaps now it would be a "combination work-led and baby-led schedule." When I read through the sample schedules I find it inordinately interesting how every family does things differently. So, I thought I would share Victoria's schedule to give you all a snapshot of her day.

5:30 to 6:30

Victoria wakes up and I nurse her. If she has slept through the night, she will usually wake up on her own. If she has woken up for a nighttime feeding the previous night, sometimes I will have to wake her up by 6:00 to eat.

6:30 to 7:15

Mommy gets ready for work and prepares bottles, etc. for daycare. Victoria usually hangs out in her pack and play, bumbo chair, or bouncy chair and talks with daddy and mommy while they get ready for their day.

7:15 to 7:45

Commute to, and get dropped off at, daycare. Usually gets a 20 minute nap in the car but will wake up when the car seat stops moving.

7:45 to 4:45

Daycare! Victoria loves to interact with the adults and kids at daycare. As far as I can tell, there is no set schedule. She usually takes one long nap during the day and one or two shorter cat naps. Her sleep and eating schedule is completely up to her. She gets tummy time and lots of time being loved and held.

4:45 to 5:30

Commute home. Usually gets a 20 minute nap in the car but will wake up when the car seat stops moving. Say hi to daddy and the puppies.

5:30

Awake time! Activities vary by the day. Victoria may play with mommy and daddy, talk to them, do tummy time, sit in her bouncy chair and watch us play with the puppies, or sit in her bumbo chair while we make supper, put away milk, wash pump and bottle parts, and clean up. We will often eat dinner at the dining room table and put Victoria in her bouncy chair or bumbo chair, where she will either “talk” and entertain us at dinner or just enjoy staring at bright lights or the toys in her bouncy chair. She likes to use her muscles and will do a lot of sitting up, standing up, baby squats, sit-ups, etc. Once the weather gets nicer we will get outside for lots of walks!

7:30 to 8:30

Somewhere during this time, we start getting ready for bed. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and once on the weekend she will get a bath followed by some massage. Our “normal” bedtime routine then is putting on pajamas, getting fed, reading a book, then swaddling her and having mommy sing to her and sway back and forth to make her sleepy before putting her down. This seems to vary a lot though, as some nights she is so tired from her day she doesn’t stay awake for the book and singing. And sometimes she has eaten so recently she isn’t hungry enough to eat right before bed. She usually falls asleep sometime between 8:00 and 9:00.

9:00 to 10:00

I pump if necessary. I usually go to bed sometime between 9:00 and 10:00. Matt comes to bed a couple hours after me. Victoria usually sleeps through the night, but maybe 25% of the time wakes up once for a nighttime feeding, then always goes right back to sleep.

The Hardest Week

I thought the first week after Victoria's birth would be hard ... but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

I thought the first week I went to work would be hard ... but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

The first week Matt left town? The hardest by far!

Matt left last Sunday, and by Tuesday night I was feeling very overwhelmed. I wanted to give undivided attention to the baby and puppies, but at the same time I had to take care of things like laundry, washing bottles, and preparing myself for work the next day. I got home from work and everyone wanted me all at once! All three girls would want to get fed, and the dogs would want to play and get pet, and I couldn't even manage to make myself hamburger helper for dinner.

Thank god for the help of family. On Monday Adam came to our house and spent two hours giving my dogs attention. Of course Molly (his dog) helped. Adam texted me this photo while I was at work ... he decided to use the daybed in Victoria's room to snuggle with all three dogs ...


Tuesday night my mom came over late in the evening and spent the night here. It was so helpful just to have another set of hands to let the dogs in, or hold the baby if I needed to get something done. And my mom went above and beyond, helping to fold clothes, go through mail, and do laundry.

When she left Wednesday morning she took the dogs home with her so they could spend the whole day with Doug. I went to their house for dinner that night, and later that evening my dad came to the house to spend the night here and offer an extra set of hands. Thanks to my mom's help the night before, I was able to relax with my dad. We watched a high school hockey game on tv while I snuggled with V. And Thursday morning he took the dogs home with him once again.

Thursday introduced a whole new challenge to the week. When I picked Victoria up from day care, LouAnne told me that she had been crying for an hour and a half, and seemed very warm. I tried to nurse her right there at day care to see if that would calm her down, but she just continued to scream.

When I got home she indeed had a fever - 100.8, and was screaming and exhausted. When Tylenol did nothing to help the fever, I decided it was time for an ER trip. My mom took the dogs, and my dad and I took V to St. Luke's. I won't go into all the details of our six hours there, or of caring for a sick baby over the next couple of days, but by the time we got there she was moaning with body aches. At first they thought it was an ear infection, and we later found out that she had a urinary tract infection. It was pretty awful seeing her so unhappy ... I cried when she was moaning so miserably! But I did ok when they took blood, put a catheter in her, and gave her a shot of antibiotics. I just wanted my little girl to get better. And she was a trooper too. Considering how sick she was, I was amazed at how well she handled everything.

We got home at 3:30 in the morning. Her fever finally broke on Saturday morning, although she was tired and fussy a little bit more than usual over the weekend. We are so glad she is feeling better, but know that follow-up is needed. We went to the doctor today and learned that she will need an ultrasound and a voiding cystourethrogram (VSUG) to determine if there is anything wrong with her urinary tract. The VSUG can't be done for six weeks. In the meantime she will finish her course of antibiotics (which is tough as she is really good at spitting it out!) and we'll keep an eye on her to see if she has a fever or anything else that would indicate another UTI.

Family was also around for fun moments during the week. On Friday night, after V and I had spent the day sleeping, and feeling disappointed that Matt's flight home had been canceled, we joined my parents for dinner out ... and my dad put a hat on V "to keep her warm" ... I think it was a little too big though to do the trick!


On Saturday morning we decided to take out the play mat. Victoria hasn't played on it yet, and we finally thought she was at the point where she'd really enjoy it. Sure enough, she loved the toys, and especially loved the mirror! She spent nearly an hour looking at herself in the mirror and cooing and talking. A sure sign that she was feeling better!


Now that the hardest week is over, I can safely say that I fully appreciate all my husband does for our family on a daily basis! All his girls are happier and better cared for when he is here.

Letter to Victoria

Dear Victoria,

My darling daughter, I know that some day I will want to tell you what you were like as a baby. These days are flying by so fast, and you are changing before my eyes. Here you are at nearly three months old, and I would swear that today you looked different when I picked you up from day care than when I dropped you off this morning. Every time I feed you I look at your arms and legs, and marvel at how long you’ve grown. I feel your heft in my arms and think to myself how different it is than the tiny peanut you were when you were born. Don’t get me wrong, you’re still a peanut … but a strong one, and independent-minded. At your two-month doctor’s appointment we filled out a developmental questionnaire, and many of the things you can do, from lifting your head and shoulders off the ground while on your tummy to bearing your weight on your legs, are uncommon for a two-month-old to do. And now you are sitting in your bumbo chair holding your head up, and doing baby squats with your legs. Daddy “makes” you do workouts, which you love: he’ll hold your hands and you’ll do sit-ups, and you’ll do squats and stand up. The other thing you love to do with Daddy is to stand on his lap in his office and dance to trance music. That makes Daddy pretty happy! Lately you have started to seem unhappy laying in our arms; you insist on being allowed to sit up or stand, like a big girl! Some days I wish you were more cuddly with mommy, but you are your own unique person and have so much energy. In the bath, on the changing table, or laying on the floor, your arms and legs flail around in rapid, excited movements. The world is a big place, and you always seem ready and excited to explore. When we had an infant massage session, the instructor noted that you were very alert and didn’t seem to want to relax. You like to go, go, go, until you are so exhausted you crash. You seem to fight sleep, as you so want to stay awake and try to understand everything you see. You are drawn to lights, activity, and people.

You are such a good baby. You are smiley, with these big open-mouth smiles that make everyone’s hearts melt. You have started to give noises as if you are laughing or squealing, so we will be extra silly just for you. You are very social, loving it when people talk to you. You seem to love meeting new people, and will stare, smile, and talk to them. You cry when you are hungry, overtired, or need to burp, but you are pretty easy to calm, and we do what we can to make you happy again. You are my “good eater,” and you have taken it to heart when we tell you your job is to eat milk and grow big! I’m also pretty proud of how easily you took to drinking breastmilk from a bottle, and how you are able to switch back and forth from bottle to breast. No nipple confusion for you! However, we have found that mommy cannot feed you from a bottle. When I have tried (on only a couple rare occasions), you turn towards my chest as you normally do when I nurse you, and all the milk from the bottle spills out. It is just too confusing for you to drink from a bottle around mommy, so only other people can bottle feed you.

You often sleep through the night, even 9-10 hours at a shot. Whenever you have woken up in the middle of the night (even in your first few weeks), it has been only to eat, and then you easily fall back asleep. We have just started a bedtime routine for you that includes a bath, pajamas, milk, book, and rocking in mommy’s arms while I sing to you. When you start to get sleepy you will fuss a little as you unwind from the day, but then you calm down and when I set you in your crib you fall asleep on your own.

And of course, you are the most beautiful baby ever. We never tire of telling you this. You always smile when we say “pretty,” but we also use the words beautiful, cute, gorgeous.

Nearly every day I think to myself how lucky we are to have such a good baby. You make my job easy. Being your mommy is the best!