A little plugged up

So apparently Max likes cereal, but cereal does not like Max. Once she started to ingest the food, her "system" couldn't digest it properly and she became constipated. Poor little thing was in so much pain. I followed the nurse's instructions, and tried a few things. After giving Max a suppository, she finally "let it all go". She let it go up her back, down her leg, all over her front..... She felt so much better. We have been advised to hold off on the cereal until her system gets back to normal. At that point we can either try it again or wait until her 6 month check-up and talk to the doctor.

Sittin' purdy

 Guess who is starting to sit up on her own?!?




Max is getting much stronger. This past week she started sitting up for just a few seconds at a time. She is now sitting longer before falling over. She can stay vertical for quite a while with just the assistance of holding onto a finger. ***




Time is just flying and she is reaching her milestones quickly. Rolling over at 4 months, sitting up at 5 months, what's hiding around the corner for 6 months?


***CORRECTION:  These photos were taken on Sept. 27 and she remained sitting up for a few minutes.  Then she got bored.

Actual eating

We have been working with Max on eating cereal. Most of the times were spent simply making a mess and not really ingesting anything. Last night she actually ate it! Very little came back out of her mouth, she opened her mouth and went towards the spoon, and she even puckered up when it was gone. We are very pleased with how well she is doing. We will be sticking with the oatmeal for a few more weeks then moving on to bigger and better things....applesauce, bananas and peas! Yummmmmmm!

Little Miss Attitude

Someone is starting to get a little temper. Max is starting to realize what she likes and does not like, what she wants and does not want, and how she wants to do things. She is not quite able to get her point across and this makes her very mad. Sorry Alex, you might be stuck with 2 of us!

Time for a bumper

Every doctor, every book, every pamphlet, strongly recommends not having anything in the crib with a baby due to an increased risk of suffocation. This includes the ever cute and ever popular bumpers that go around the edge of the crib. I had a variety of thoughts when it came to purchasing, or not purchasing, one for Max's crib. Sure they looked cute, but that was about the only positive I could come up with at the time. There was the issue of suffocation if Max made her way over to it and shoved her face into the material. (lets face it, if you know Max, you KNOW that was a possibility) Then there was the restricted air flow thru the crib. (our crib thermometer already said it was 80 degrees every night!) We can't forget the adventurous little ones that like to climb bumpers and fall out of the crib. (luckily we aren't there yet) I could go on but the point is the negatives outweighed the positive, so we planned on not using one. The other night we ended up losing, not one, but TWO pacifiers over the edge and down the back side of the crib. (note to self: they are still stuck back there) Sure a bumper probably would have prevented that, but oh well. So I was still satisfied with not having an expensive piece of potentially dangerous material surrounding my baby girl while she slept. Things changed when I saw this..... she was at the opposite end of the crib, flipped over on her tummy, with her legs hanging out thru the slats. Call me paranoid, but I don't want her to get fussy, start flailing, and break a leg! So after some research, I found a great bumper that should satisfy our needs and eliminate the worries. It is made of a very fine mesh material that is completely breathable. So even if Max managed to completely smash her adorable little face into the bumper, she can still breath; it does not restrict airflow thru the crib; and it collapses with pressure so little feet cannot use it as a springboard out of the crib. Arms, legs and pacifiers will no longer be venturing outside of the crib. And to top it all off....it's green with polk-a-dots!

All thumbs

Maxalynn has discovered her thumbs. She doesn't necessarily use them in place of her pacifier, but she has been chewing on them a lot. She would be in heaven if she could master having her pacifier AND her thumb shoved in her mouth at the same time. Of course she "talks" with stuff in her mouth, so the thumb works better in that regard.

MOPS

Max and I attended our first MOPS meeting tonight. It's the Gahanna branch so it is located really close to our house. I'm not a fan of the meeting time, though. Monday nights from 6:30 - 9:00. First off, it's really hard for Alex to get home in time for me to head out without Max. Second, it's during our family time. I don't get to see Alex that much as it is...but I guess I need to keep in mind it's only one night a month. Alex had to work late so I had to take Max with me. She was a hit (of course). I had predetermined that I would only stay for an hour so. That way Alex and I could still have dinner together, he could see Max, and her bedtime routine wouldn't be compromised. Blah, blah, blah...where am I going with all this? I was hesitant about going to the meeting but am very glad I did. I am hoping to attend the next one without Max. I think there is potential for baby outings, adult interaction, and a much needed mini break for mom.

All alone in my big girl bed

Max started out sleeping in a pack-n-play located in our bedroom. Our original thinking was that Max would move upstairs to her own room after a month or so. This would give me plenty of time to heal and be ready to tackle our stairs. Well, one thing after another prevented me from "pushing her out of the nest". The biggest factor was that she was still waking up every few hours. Let's be honest, those extra few minutes I saved by having her just a few feet away were priceless. Once she was sleeping a longer stretch, we realized our vacation was just a few weeks away. Did we really want her to get used to her bed then have to switch back to the p-n-p for a week? So we held out a little longer. Then we discovered we had the wrong size screen door for her room. (we are using it to keep the cats out) Long story short, we finally moved her to her crib in her room last night. She went to sleep around 9:00 or so and slept till 6:30! I, on the other hand, was awake at 5:30 when she sneezed. I stared at the clock, then the monitor, back to the clock...anticipating her cry. Once she was clearly awake, Alex and I ventured up to her room. We found her completely turned around, at the opposite end of the crib, laying in a puddle. All in all, though, it was a very successful first night in her big girl room all alone.

Nap time? No way!

So for the last few weeks, Max has been having trouble napping. We have 2 days per week, maybe 3 if we are lucky, when she will take more than one nap. Most days her naps last 30 minutes or less, and she will usually only take 1. This makes for a very cranky baby (and mommy). Max is clearly tired but fights it every step of the way. I have resorted to just laying her in her crib and letting her be fussy in there. She will act the same way if I hold her so why not give my arms a break?


I typed the original posting while Max was eating. Wouldn't you know, she fell asleep. Yeah! I have been paranoid to move her. She has been napping for nearly 2 hours! So here she lies, across a pillow on my lap, snoozing away....dare I complain that my butt is numb?

Going the distance

As most people know, a baby's vision is poor at best when they are born. As time passes, the eyes mature, and eventually BAM, they can see. Max was playing on the floor the other and she could see Alex all the way upstairs in the loft. Obviously I have no idea how clear the entire image was, but she could definitely see enough to smile and laugh at daddy WAY up there.

First Food

We decided to try a "food" today. If you can even call baby oatmeal food. She looked so tiny in her highchair. She's been sitting in it for a while, but generally without the tray attached. We decided to go all out for this big event.

Camera - check. Spoon - check. Oatmeal - check. What's missing? Oh yes....the bib - check!

We didn't expect her to actually eat anything, we were really just trying to introduce her to the idea of eating. She did surprisingly well! We will try again in a few days. We thought we would start now so by the time her 6 month birthday rolled around she would be a pro.