baby

Save the Baby

~ Girlmom ~ 4 Comments

The other morning something very scary happened. Every night after Averi’s early morning meal I move her and the Rock n Play next to the side of my bed, this way if she fusses I am right there. This one morning Shane had gotten up with Kaili and I fell back to sleep. I was having a horrific dream about Kaili, she was drowning in a pool and as  I was pulling her out, I suddenly woke up to moaning. LUCKILY I quickly turned to Averi and saw that one of my pillows had managed to fall on top of her. You guys, she was being smothered by my pillow. I pulled it off of her, swept her hot and sweaty body up in my arms and realized how close to tragedy that was. I am so thankful I woke up to her moaning, and didn’t ignore it, so very thankful.

I have never been for co-sleeping, but even if you have baby next to your bed,  just know that these freak situations can happen. I don’t know how I would have lived with myself if something had happened to her. It still scares me to think about it…shiver.

On a happier note, Averi has been napping in her crib, {SUCCESS} and I am hoping to get her out of our room and the swaddle soon.

Many faces of Averi

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Averi, 2 Months

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

Three and a half years later and I feel like a first time mom but this time I am less of a worry wart. Every few nights when I am standing in the dark rocking rocking Averi, I wonder how I did this the first time around and WHY do some women keep on having babies?

         This is why.

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Averi Ciera, she is a darn good baby, rarely cries and just wants to be loved on, so who am I to complain? Nights are getting better. We have just started getting into a routine and she is starting to give me 6 hour sleep stretches at night, it’s great. But getting her to sleep takes a hot minute and it’s stressful, which I completely forgot about from the first time around…Conveniently.

She  takes two to three naps a day. I would love to say she naps at the same time and the same place each day but that won’t happen. Kaili’s school and daily activities just won’t allow that luxury. I find myself walking a thin line between following a routine and playing it by ear. Basically I am struggling to find a rhythm. I should say that when Shane is home, things are much easier. Having another pair of hands to help with the bottles and the dishes and the cooking and the feeding just makes life a little easier. Major props to all the single parents out there!

Here is stone cold face Averi. She is giving smiles, I am just not quick enough to capture a really good one on film.

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A Week in Photos

~ Girlmom ~ 2 Comments

Kaili accidentally dropped her cup of milk on the ground, with a worried look on her face she said “sorry mommy.” I grabbed her, hugged her and told her it’s fine and it wasn’t her fault and then I acted out this scene from Good Will Hunting. I wish you guys could have seen it, I was riveting.

Kaili was invited to one of her little friends birthday party over the weekend. Ariel aka The Little Mermaid made an appearance and now everything is mermaids this and mermaids that. It should last for another 5 minutes and then it will be old news.

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I managed to get the kids packed up and we hit the road to walk Kaili TO school, first time for everything.

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I finally got around to taking Kaili for a haircut. Little Locks in La Jolla is the cutest place, half salon, half toy store. She sat patiently through the whole thing.

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This little girl is 7 weeks old today.

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Kaili assures me she likes her baby. She assists me with every diaper change and smothers her with kisses.

Averi is getting stronger, holding her head up more often. She will give you a smile, if you’re lucky and she even giggled in her sleep which was the cutest thing to date.

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6 Week Ramble

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

It’s been 6 weeks and I am practically pain free so I think it’s time I start exercising again. I’m going to go ahead and start without the approval of my doc since I haven’t had my postpartum check-up yet. It should be okay…right?

In the 6 weeks, Averi has been on 3 different formulas. She has been uncomfortable, grunting and gassy. Just the other night we switched for a third time and so far it seems to be making all the difference. She is happier and sleeping longer stretches, can I get an AMEN.

Okay, so I am a little late on the one month photos….

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My next door neighbor has been such a help the past few weeks. Almost every day she comes over and helps me by entertaining Kaili. It’s allows me just enough time to get dinner made or an errand ran without Kaili on my heels… every damn second. This kid says “mommy” roughly  570 times a day. 560 times she doesn’t actually have anything to tell me, she just want’s to drive me bat shit crazy. I have thought about inviting one of the Muslims in for a glass of wine just so she could bother them for a few minutes, allow me some time to make bottles. Wait, is alcohol allowed in the Muslim religion? Well if not, there are always the Lutherans that go door to door, we all know the Lutherans like their wine.

Every day Shane is gone at work,  I get a little more in tune with  being solo with two kids. I may clean most of the house with baby wipes and Kaili asks where we are going if I brush my hair, but they are both getting fed, I am getting a shower and we are all getting some sleep. If I can keep them both alive then I say “WINNING!”

 

The First Week Home in Photos

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

It’s been almost 2 weeks since I had Averi and almost 1 week since she’s been home. I have to say things are going quite well. Shane has been home  the past month but set off yesterday to get some work done in the office. Having my in-laws here has been invaluable. Kaili is being happily entertained, it has allowed me to ease into everything and  Shane and I get some time away together.

Averi is as sweet as can be. She eats about every 3 hours and then sleeps with some awake time spread out during the day. I get up twice at night to feed her which isn’t too bad if I can get back to sleep in a reasonable amount of time. Having help here, I have the luxury to sleep an extra hour while someone gets up with Kaili, if needed. This will come to an end in a few weeks, so I am taking advantage of every second.

Kaili is so happy to have Averi home. She has taken this new chapter like a champ and is already a great helper.

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Our first outing as a family was to Bali Hai for lunch. This bowl of Gazpacho was so good and the Mai Tai a tad too strong.

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Girls just wanna have fun.

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While the grandparents took Kaili to SeaWorld, Shane and I and a couple of friends took Averi to Ramona for some wine tasting. We leisurely made our way to 3 wineries, munched on too much cheese and enjoyed the much needed break from home.

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Slowly getting back into the kitchen.

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Hot tubbin’ with Grandpa G.

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It sure is going to be fun watching these two grow up together.

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The One With An Ultrasound Photo

~ Girlmom ~ 2 Comments

Kaili is starting to grasp the concept that there is a baby in my belly, well when she wants to that is. She started talking to to my stomach, “hello baby”. I told her that when the baby gets bigger she can talk to it all the time and maybe sometimes she will see it move. She then said, “open tummy”, in due time kid.

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The nausea pills seemed to make a lot of difference yesterday, in a good way. Now if it just goes away on its own here in a couple weeks, oh who am I kidding a couple weeks is TOO LONG to want to puke all day. I would rather not have to take anything at all but whatever works, am I right?

With my moms help I was able to do some purging around the house aka make room for baby and since the weather has been just lovely we spent some time at the park. Speaking of purging, did you ever see that movie The Purge? Creepy!

I have a first trimester blood screen test Friday, still have to find out if the MaterniT21 blood test is covered by our insurance, need to make an appointment with my Perinatologist and maybe take a trip to “Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.” See what I did there?

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All {in a} Year

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6 days! Less than a week and my sweet baby K turns 1-year-old. This has been the longest and shortest year of my life. It seems like just yesterday when Shane and I headed to the hospital to begin the induction process but when I see the pictures of her when she was a few months old and so tiny, it seems like ages ago.

Hardest Days of my Life
So happy to be able to hold you!
We didn't waste any time getting you out of the house.

I look back at the past year fondly {excluding the delivery and recovery} . Kaili has been a happy and easy baby for the most part. I have  heard horror stores about  parents who end up dealing with major sleep issues, food issues, bodily issues, sippy cup issues ect. ect. I think we have had it pretty easy and Shane and I will be the first to admit that when things seem difficult, we really have been lucky. Someone told me once that it’s all a trick to get us to have another one, haha.

She has become such the little lady. She is determined and focused and has become quite the copycat. It’s been amazing to watch her go from this

were you really ever this small?

to this.

I am really looking forward to what the next year brings. I am excited to start our trips to the beach, Sea World and the Zoo. I can’t wait to watch her take it all in.

Someone asked me if parenthood was everything I thought it would be. Yes, yes it is. I was very well prepared to have a baby and I haven’t been surprised by much. But thinking about this more over the past few days, there are a few things I wish I knew before having Kaili.

  • I really really wish someone would have told me I could have insisted on a c-section any time during the 36 hours of labor instead of having to wait until it became an emergency.
  • That finding normal moms to be friends with may prove to be impossible.
  • How many hours I would spend online researching different ailments and the amount of time I will spend worrying about her.
  • That I would still be numb at both incision sites and have sporadic pain when working out a year later.
  • How amazing it is to be able to stay home with her and get to watch her grow and learn in every way.

Happy almost birthday my little love, we are going to do it up big for you!

Sensory Play ~ Cornmeal

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Sensory play activities provide babies, toddlers and preschoolers fun learning opportunities for self-directed and guided play. These activities encourage a variety of different skills to develop. Through the manipulation of different  materials ie. pouring, molding, lifting, carrying and sorting children will improve their fine and gross motor skills. Sensory play does not come with instructions, it’s just fun, open-ended activities that children can enjoy, just remember that these activities do need to be age appropriate. Through the years I have stored up endless ideas and I can’t wait to introduce them all to Kaili. That being said, Kaili has been interested in different textures lately, sand being one of her favorites. Unfortunately “taste” is also a favorite sense for babies and toddlers so I wanted something she could play with that didn’t make me cringe when it went in her mouth. That is when I decided to use cornmeal, sort of the same texture as sand but harmless if ingested.

I bought a big bag of cornmeal from the bulk bins at Sprouts. I poured some into a container and added different “tools’ for her to manipulate. Measuring cups, a strainer, pouring cups, ping-pong balls and 2 toy fish. I am not as brave as some mothers so we took this activity outside.

I think the next sensory activity we will try will have something to do with cold, cooked and colored noodles. Fun!

One Baby and a Heartbeat!

~ Girlmom ~ 2 Comments

Today I am 6 weeks! This morning was our first ultrasound and we were able to see the little “nubs’ along with the heartbeat! Such a great feeling! Dr. Garzo said all the measurements were perfect and to come back in 2 weeks. That will be my last appointment with Reproductive Partners. Kind of sad! I am “graduating” to my OBGYN. Kind of exciting!

I am still lucky enough to say I haven’t had any morning sickness so far, just drowsiness and dizziness. I heard somewhere that when a women get’s bad morning sickness and sore breasts it’s because the Progesterone  and Estrogen levels are low. Who knows if that true or not but if my levels stay good then maybe I will soar through without any bad “side effects”. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself!

Tomorrow is Shane and my 4th Anniversary…What a great gift we have been given! We are headed downtown to try chef Brian Malarkey’s new restaurant Friday. Very eager for that!