The Superhero in Our Lives

Posted on September 25, 2014 by playinghousewi

“I heart my dad.” -C

It’s been awhile since I’ve gushed over my husband and I’m feeling like it’s long overdue. While this lovely man has made me want to punch him a few times (can we say Seattle??), he’s really been so amazing.

The amazing started long before sweet Charlotte arrived. Have I mentioned that my husband went to all but one prenatal appointments with me? That means every ultrasound, non-stress test (and there were at least 6), and regular check up. I didn’t have to beg him or pout… he just did it because he’s pretty damn amazing.

Then our labor/delivery/recovery experience. Hubs stayed in the hospital for all 5 nights and was the most active labor partner I’ve ever heard of. In fact, the nurses on the floor were all asking if he had a single brother. Mark was literally with me for every second of my 24 hours of hard labor (and the 12 or so before that) except for the one time he went to the bathroom and the one time he went in the hall to talk to the doctor. Other than that, his hands were on my back or around my waist the entire time. We were in the tub, in the shower, up on the bed, walking the halls… we were everywhere. And without complaint or hesitation, my guy was by my side. It was our labor.

And now, since our girl has arrived, he’s just been wonderful. He comes home just about every day to have lunch with us and spend some time with Charlotte. He’s been to all of her doctor’s appointments (and my post-birth check up). I didn’t change a single diaper until Charlotte was just about 2 weeks old. He still changes 99% of all diapers when he’s home. He lets me sleep whenever possible. He loves on both baby C and me. He’s pretty amazing.

Truly, we don’t know where we’d be without him.

Wahhh, my daddy’s a superhero!

I’m cute.

And by the way, look at me playing with my new toy…

And did I mention that I tried out my bumbo today??

I think I might like it… maybe…

Our Little 10 Week Old

Posted on September 25, 2014 by playinghousewi

Well, here we are… Another week has gone by. Charlotte’s made some big changes… Some good and some a little less pleasant.

In fact, this week the sweetie pie has decided she will officially no longer accept a bottle, she will not be sleeping through the night and on top of that, she has a cold! A rough week.

On the positive, she has been doing so well with sleep training (besides not sleeping through the night)! She’s been napping in her crib every two hours and even “put herself to sleep” tonight (for the first time). I breast fed her and we swayed around the room for a bit. Then, I put her in her crib awake and rocked her gently for a few minutes. She wasn’t falling asleep and I was getting impatient, so I went to get the hubs. We decided to let her fuss for a few and see if she’d fall asleep on her own (note, she was not crying… Just fussing).

Sure enough, after 5 or so minutes, she was out!! Yay!! Hopefully we can recreate that tomorrow. As for timing, she’s been falling asleep in the 730/8 range these days.

Other developments… She LOVES sucking on her hand (see photo below), she is even more personable than last week, and is my favorite little thing on this earth.

Enjoy the pictures! See if you can pick out the photo where she decided to work out a poop! No better time than photo shoot time, right? Babies are awesome! No shame 🙂 She smiled after. I was proud.

And just a couple others from our day!

Did I mention that she loves to suck on pretty much anything but a paci? Exhibit A: my sleeve after she sucked it like crazy while I made dinner with her in my pouch.

Baby’s First Cold

Posted on September 24, 2014 by playinghousewi

At around 1:45 this morning, the sweet bambino woke up totally congested and coughing. It was really sad. We used the nose frieda, which actually worked really well… Although Charlotte does not enjoy it. Her eyes bulge out of her head and she desperately tries to sniff all the boogs back into her nose as I’m trying to suck them out. Yuck.

As an FYI, we called the doc this morning and she said to monitor her temp and make sure she doesn’t have a rash. If her rectal temp was over 100.6, she would need to be seen.

Anyway, the sweet girl was sick all day, which made my attempt at getting her into good sleep habits easier. She took a 3 hour nap, a 2 hour nap and a 45 minute nap today and was asleep by 8. Pretty good! Sleeping after 1-2 hours of wakefulness, as our sleep book recommends.

Hopefully her good sleep habits will last through the night. This momma is tired.

Despite her stuffy nose and cough, she was in pretty good spirits today. Check out her mini smile on our walk today (and don’t judge her for rocking pjs all day… It was a sick day!).

And here she is reading and playing with her pops and pup…

I heart growth spurts (said no one ever)

Posted on September 21, 2014 by playinghousewi

Charlotte has been in a growth spurt for the past few days. Last night this lovely spurt meant no sleep. I literally spent 3 stress and anxiety filled hours sleeping and about 6 house bouncing and/or feeding the little one.

Remember when I was all excited that the lady was sleeping through the night? That is no longer the case. Hopefully it’s only temporary, but sheesh. I’m tired.

As a slight tangent, I have an app called Wonder Weeks, which helps to predict a child’s developmental leaps based on their due date. It provides symptoms to recognize the leap, information on what to expect after the leap and activities to help you through the leap. I’d definitely recommend it.

Anyway, send me positive vibes for a peaceful evening.

In the meantime, some pictures of the crankster staring at the chandelier (the best way to soothe her lately… Chandelier bouncing):

And nap time on momma today (please note the hand print impressions on her face… A symptom of sleeping face down)…

And some others from the weekend including a sneak peak of the naming ceremony, pedicures, a gorg scarf my friend made me, and my new favorite children’s book. A must have!

If you’re interested, here’s a link that includes the full “wherever you are my love will find you” book: http://community.babycenter.com/post/a25640907/wherever_you_are_my_love_will_find_you

Bad night

Posted on September 20, 2014 by playinghousewi

Today is baby boo’s naming ceremony, so wouldn’t you know after sleeping through the night for the past few weeks, she chooses last night to wake up every few hours.

So tired (and cranky).

Wish us luck!

Charlie Pie is 9 Weeks Old!

Posted on September 18, 2014 by playinghousewi

I mean, really! How have 9 weeks flown by already? It’s so crazy to see the changes. She went from this little cute and delicate and precious little eating/sleeping/pooping machine to this special and perfect little person. It’s so amazing to see her personality coming through. Oy. I just love her more than I could have ever imagined.

Besides just becoming more and more lovely, our girl has also started to get on a good schedule in the day. I was hoping to post about napping separately, but the short version is that sweetie pie is napping in her crib!! Yay! Other than that, she continues to get more and more neck strength and head control. She’s the smiliest thing ever. She’s becoming way more vocal and is an expert spit bubbler. Oh, and a master drooler.

This week we’ve also been practicing rolling over. Maybe I’ll take a video one of these days. It’s kind of silly.

And here’s the fun part… Her sweet pictures (taken one day late):

Charlotte’s Terrible Two Month Appointment

Posted on September 18, 2014 by playinghousewi

As much as I love selfies, I have to actually post, too. Yesterday we had Sweet Charlotte’s 2 month check up. It started out well… Baby Boo is no 12.5 lbs and 23.5″ long. That puts her in the 85th percentile for weight and 85th-95th for height.

Look at her cute “I’m going to the doc” outfit…

Cutie pie 🙂

Unfortunately, the appointment went downhill in three pokes. The sweetie pie had three vaccinations via shot and one orally. Those shots were terrible. I had the sucky job of holding the babe while she got poked and it was just terrible. I was literally crying inside and the princess was crying… so loudly.

Oy.

Sweetie pie settled enough for a trip to Kohl’s, but as soon as she woke up from her nap, the tears were flowing. It was so sad. She cried (and screamed) for at least an hour. I literally have not heard her cry for more than 5 minutes, so the whole thing felt pretty intense. Thankfully after an hour and some baby tylenol, she settled down and went to bed… and this momma had a glass of wine. This morning it was like none of it ever happened. She was back to being our happy little munchkin.

What shots?

I know, the selfies are getting old…

Posted on September 14, 2014 by playinghousewi

But not to me 🙂

A More Successful (And Abbreviated) Trip to the Store

Posted on September 12, 2014 by playinghousewi

Charlie and I finally made it back to the store. I was a little apprehensive because of our last experience, but it was actually quite successful. She was a happy little button. I put my groceries in the basket under her stroller, so I would bend down, put the item in and then continue pushing the stroller. She clearly thought we were playing peek-a-boo because every time I popped back up, she laughed. So cute 🙂

We also practiced sitting today…

And snuggled…

And then my sweet sister and her family brought over dinner and the cousins played!

And some other cute pics from the day…

Two Months & Sweet As Can Be

Posted on September 11, 2014 by playinghousewi

Every week I say this, but truly, I can’t believe another week has flown by. How has it already been 8 weeks?

My sweet baby boo is definitely growing up. She’s so much more interactive and one thing is for sure, girlfriend loves to smile. Even when she’s pissed off and fussing, Charlotte will crack a smile. She’s literally so amazing to be around. Now of course, that doesn’t mean that every second she’s an angel… But even when she’s being sassy, she’s still pretty awesome. New this week? Hmm… She continues to get stronger. She has consistently slept through the night (9.5-10.75 per night and then another 1-3 in the morning). She is definitely more vocal. She can follow objects with her eyes and head. She’s a bubble making machine. She loves her daddy. A lot. She’s pooped out of about 4 diapers this week – woooo! Go Charlie!

Anyway, here’s the cutie…