Latest Adventures

Last weekend was our first time away from home since bringing L home from the hospital.  We spent two nights out at her grandparents' ranch a couple hours away.  She had a great time being loved on by Grandpa and Grandma.  It was a nice break for all of us, to be away from the bustle and noise of the city and sit outside looking at the stars.  Little L loves being outside; if she's fussy it's one of our go-to options to calm her down.  I think she likes to hear the birds and the rustle of the leaves and feel the breeze.  Maybe she'll be a hiker like her dad!  She slept great out there, went down earlier and stayed asleep for longer stretches than she typically does at home, I guess the different setting tired her out.

What else have we been up to?
Went to a minor league baseball game with her God-family
Walked around an arts festival with our cousins
Spent an afternoon at the zoo as a family
Gone to Mass and listened to Mom and Dad serve as lectors
Hosted a Memorial Day cookout and got to see her 2 "sisters"

It's been a busy month!

Moving On

A departure from my usual posts, not pregnancy or baby related, there are occasionally other things on my mind that I want to share!

I realized over the last week how important this month is for a lot of people in my life who are graduating.  Here's a breakdown:

Pre-school-a old friend's little girl
Elementary school-my husband's cousin
Middle school-a friend's daughter and my students from last year
High school-3 of my cousins and my first class of students that I taught in Texas
Associate's degree-2 of my husband's cousins
Bachelor's degree-a cousin of mine and one of my husband's

Some of these milestones have been more significant to me, particularly the high school grads.  To see their senior pictures and remembering them as babies, toddlers, 4th graders...

It really doesn't feel like I was in school that long ago myself, but when you do the math-
14 years since high school
9 years since college
3 years (in August) since graduate school  

Time really does pass so quickly.  So many people when they meet Little L tell me to cherish every moment, that it goes by fast.  If I feel nostalgic and sentimental now about my loved ones, I can't imagine how it's going to be when our daughter reaches all these milestones.  I marvel already at how much she's changed in 2 and a half months.  Ok, so this post ended up being about her just a little.

Congratulations to all graduates, at whatever stage!  Praying that God will guide you as you move to this next step in life.

More milestones

Little L had her two month check up this week.  She's gained about 3 pounds and almost 2 inches she was born.  She took the shots like a champ and they didn't seem to bother her after the initial pain.  She's definitely starting to show more of her personality and we get more interaction with her.  She's like her dad in that once she's up for the day, she's real smile-ly, making all sorts of cute little noises while I'm getting her dressed and plays on her mat while I pump.  A morning person!  She's like me in that she has a late bedtime.  It's not consistent but more often than not it's close to midnight before she goes down for the night. A night owl!  It'll be interesting to see as she gets older if she becomes more like one of us.

Speaking of sleep, we've graduated to the pack n'play at night.  Only took us two months from the initial plan.  L has been good about sleeping in the swing but one morning this week I heard her stirring but not crying so I let her be.  When I got out of bed awhile later, the child had wiggled herself about halfway out of the swing, which was at about a 45 degree angle.  So, no more swing at night!  She's getting used to sleeping in a bigger space although sometimes it takes a couple of times before she doesn't startle herself awake.  We're not using the swaddles as much anymore, they're getting too small and some evenings it's been too warm for them.

The cloth diapering is going well.  I do laundry every other day and have been taking advantage of the warmer weather to hang them outside most times.  She hasn't had any blowouts, a couple of little leaks but it's been my fault for not changing her sooner.  It has prevented her from rolling over, I think her center of gravity is off now, though this morning she ended up sleeping on her side so she may figure it out pretty quickly.

Speaking of movement, L is not a big fan of tummy time.  I don't blame her, I don't like exercise either.  The doctor said she needed three ten minute sessions a day. We're lucky to get her to last three minutes, but we're working on it. I do think it tires her out faster.  She does like going on walks with her dad in the carrier and with me in the stroller.  She & I are venturing out more during the day.  Most of the time she's asleep, from the motion of the car and the shopping cart.

I've started back to work a little.  Last night was a daddy daughter night while I was at the zoo and next week she'll be with grandma while I sub.  Thank God for camera phones so I can stay connected to her.  I've been working on building up a milk supply and it's a good thing, she went through about 14 ounces in 7 hours.

Feeling so blessed to celebrate our first Mother's Day together.  She is truly a miracle.