Pinch Me! Elise is 6 Months Old!

Goose, you are 6 months old!!!  It feels like you have been with us forever but at the same time I cannot believe it has been 6 months since you have been born!

It just keeps getting more fun with you.  Even though I miss your cuddling, sleepy days, I love being able to play with you and make you laugh.  You make me laugh and smile more than I thought possible.  Your personality is really shining through and I think you are a good mix of both your dad and I.  I can tell you are going to be a talker around us (you’re a little shy around other family members) and you definitely like things your way.  You definitely love your parents and the life we have given you.

Look at those beautiful blue eyes!

You finally have rolled over both ways.  I think you think you don’t know how to do it because it happens spontaneously and you get this surprised look on your face.  You are sitting pretty well on your own but still sway a bunch so we keep the Boppy behind you.  You’re starting to react to your toys, which is really fun to watch.  You shake rattles, hug and kiss stuffed animals, and reach for your favorite toys.  You have also found your feet and love them!

Bath time is still your favorite time of day.  You have taken up splashing and water is starting to get everywhere.  I have a feeling that once you are sitting up better we will have to move you to the big bathtub. 

I have started running with you in the jogging stroller and boy is it hard.  You don’t seem to mind it much but get a little annoyed with bumps and if it is longer than 20-30 minutes.  You have to be well rested and fed to enjoy things like that. 

This is one of my favorite pictures.  It tells my story...

You grab everything that is in your reach.  You love your door bouncer.  You have just started really enjoying eating.  You love your pups.  You love being read to and looking at the books.  You love being sung to and talked to.  You love mornings.  You love the Ergo (and so do I… I wouldn’t be able to get any shopping done without it)! You love being close to your parents.

Your first time at the park... you aren't too sure about the swings yet.  No tears though so that was good!

You do not like not getting what you want.  You do not like not being able to move from point a to point b.  You do not like when I walk away from you.  You HATE the carseat and “long” (more than 5 minutes) car rides. 

We got a camera this month and I have been having so much fun playing around with you as my favorite model. Here are some of my favorites...

You like life… what can I say?!  I love watching you grow and learn about yourself.  And, I love that you are mine!  

You are my angel, my darling, my star and my love will find you wherever you are!

Love, Mom

Day in the Life with a 6ish Month Old

I see these posts on blogs all the time and I always like reading them to see how much our schedule delineates from “norm.” Plus, I think they are kind of fun for family to see what we do all day.

We will start off the night before:

7:30-8:00pm - E goes down for the night

8:00-10:00pm – Mike gets home. We get to watch our favorite tv shows or if he gets home really late we will just eat dinner and talk at the dinner table until we get tired

2:00-5:00am – E wakes up for a feeding

7:30am – E is up for the day

8:00am – We finally get out of bed and start our day

8:05am – E plays around with breast feeding and decides she would rather not

8:10-8:30am – Dogs get fed, I drink coffee, and E either gets held or jumps in her jumper.  She starts to complain so we move onto something else

8:30-9:00am – We go into the playroom and see if we can waste some time.  I usually get more interested in her toys than she does and I often catch myself pushing every single button on a toy while E is chewing on a block 3 feet away

9:00am - Nurse E to sleep

9:10am – E doesn’t want to take her nap.  I put her in her crib… she cries… I take her out… she stops… I put her back in… she cries… I take her out and she starts to suck her thumb and lays her head on my chest and falls asleep 6/10 times like this.

9:30am – E is finally asleep.  I speed clean the house.  Sometimes I get a spark and deep clean the entire house in 45 minutes (I would really like to see myself during this time… I probably look like the old, tanned neighbor from “Something About May.”  I usually wait to run on Mike’s days off but sometimes I’ll run on the treadmill during this time.  I take a shower.  Do LOTS of laundry

10:00am – I am starving.  I eat breakfast… oatmeal, berries, and maple syrup

11:30am – E’s naps vary and she will wake up anytime between 10 and 11:30

11:30am – Nurse E

12:00pm – Change E and put her in day clothes.  Take 300 pictures because she looks so darn cute

12:20pm – Feed E real food.  She gags, I laugh, she laughs, and then she is done

12:50pm – E is starting to get bored again and so am I.  We take the dogs for a walk and I curse the fact that we did because Gracie is pulling and Chloe gets scared of her own shadow.

1:20pm – Get home.  E starts to rub her eyes.  I take that cue and nurse her again. This time she falls asleep

1:30pm – E is napping and I get the much-needed break.  Can’t really tell you what I do during this time but I try to be productive.  Today, I made pear puree for E next week.  On hard days, I lie on the couch and catch up on DVR shows.

3:00pm – E is up and gets nursed

3:20-6pm – We roam around the house.  I snack, E jumps, sits in her high chair, I snack, we play in the playroom, and I snack some more. 

6:00pm – E is done

6:01-6:30pm – I try to entertain her until bath time and minimize crying.  I also try to cook dinner during this time.  Not the easiest feat.  

6:30pm – E’s bath time.  Her favorite time of day

7:00pm – Nurse her and try to get her to sleep

And we do it all over again, tomorrow!

This is typical day for us.  We will sometimes venture out or have a Grandparent come over; but for the most part this is E and I’s life without Dad.

Of course, as soon as I hit publish on this post she will change everything.

Week 24 of Pregnancy

Our Baby

I’m pretty awestruck that I am 6 months pregnant already.  Time has sure flown!

The baby is as long as an ear of corn and weighs about 1 ½ pounds!  It has gained 4oz  (ish) in just one week!  Crazy… It seems like it was only a few weeks ago that we were excited that it was 1oz. 

Our little one is starting to sprout hair, though the color is not apparent yet… fitting for the ear of corn! 

How I am feeling

Much better than last week.  Around midweek I started to get my energy back and my ligament pains got much better.  I’m sleeping better, although, I am getting up to pee a lot more… maybe because I am keeping up with my water intake finally.  I think I am doing better emotionally, however, if any of you reading this know me, you know how shy I can be.  This week I have noticed that I have gone even more inward than normal.  It isn’t so much shyness as it is just a lot of thinking, mostly about the baby but about my family, Mike, finances etc as well. I think I’m just starting to prepare myself for what is coming in the next 16 weeks and how it may or may not turn everything upside down for a while. 

Physical Changes

My belly is still, of course, getting bigger.  My linea nigra is becoming more apparent and I feel like I am getting small dark spots around my mouth, which indicates the “mask of pregnancy.”   I gained 1.6 pounds making my total weight gain +13.8 and right on target.  I am kind of surprised I didn’t gain more because I have been extremely hungry this week.  Speaking of hunger…

What I am craving

Sadly, I am craving Cheetos, Cranberry juice, and Eggo Waffles (Not together…yikes).  Mike and I were at Home Depot this week and I got an overwhelming craving for a hot dog and Cheetos.  The hot dog craving went away but I had to have Cheetos.  I blame Home Depot.  I’ve gone through a box of Eggo Waffles this week (at least they are the whole wheat ones…).  Last night was the first night that I had a midnight craving for cranberry juice… drank right out of the container, which is totally not something I would do. 

All together, it has been a much better week and I’m happy to report that there are only 16 weeks left!