Hello from the 2-month-old, Elizabeth Audrey! I can't believe I'm so old already. It feels like I've been around forever!
Here are my favorite things to do these days:
Blow spit bubbles
Stick out my tongue--this just started this week!
Lie on the changing table attached to my Pack and Play in the family room. Mommy has no idea why I like this spot, because according to her it's boring--all I can see is the white ceiling. She'll never know, will she? I love to lie here and scootch up and down on my back, moving my arms and legs.
Talking! Mommy and I have some nice conversations.
Mirrors--on most days Mommy and I visit the "baby in the mirror" in the hallway, and sometimes Mommy puts a little mirror in front of my face. Who is that adorable creature I see?
Taking rides in the car and the stroller--they both put me out like a light!
My daddy! He is my absolute favorite cuddle spot! I don't cuddle with Mommy as much because I get impatient and smell her and want the goods.
Bath--well, I think so. I'm still debating this one.
Eating--just like when I was one month old, but I take much shorter feedings now!
Fortunately my list of things I don't like is a lot shorter. Here they are:
Going to bed! Until I was 6 weeks old all it took was some rocking and nursing in my bedroom and then Mommy could easily put me in my crib. Not so much anymore! At 6 weeks I decided to play a trick on Mommy and Daddy and become very, very difficult to put to sleep at night. I think Mommy is realizing I might need more naps during the day. Or maybe it's because I don't want to miss anything at night, because everyone is finally home. Daddy thinks it's funny because he hated to go to sleep as a kid, and still does. Mommy doesn't think it's so funny because she needs to get up with me in the middle of the night no matter what, and most nights she thinks she'd really like to go to bed by 9:30! Ha ha, that usually doesn't happen.
I get to see my Grandma Phillips and my cousins on Thursday! I can't wait! Then my Grandma and Grandpa Schneider are visiting next week. I'm so popular! Mommy tells me that people come up to me all the time and squeal all over me, but usually I'm asleep.
Oh, another thing I THINK I like is this big piece of material Mommy wraps around both of us at night. I get to see things from a different vantage point now, like Mommy doing the dishes. I'm still stirring a lot right now and Mommy is HOPING I will drop off any minute now...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Catching up from lots of activity!
My baby will be 2 months old next week! I can't believe it. It's amazing how we don't notice how much things change until we step back in time. For example, when I take a peek at pictures from a few weeks ago, or (this just killed me) videos taken the first days of Elizabeth's life. And then I talk on the phone with my parents (who just saw her a month ago...okay, I guess a month is a significantly long time in a baby's life, but really, it feels like yesterday), who comment on how different she looks in the pictures I send them.
Time flies so quickly and I am just not good at keeping up with this blog. We have been keeping steadily busy. I hope I am not overdoing it in our activity!
At four weeks old Elizabeth spent three days in Naperville, my hometown. My parents and sister came up to visit us for a weekend and then brought me and Elizabeth back with them for a few days. At that point, I was more relaxed than I had been since she was born--it was a relief to be surrounded by three reliable (and very eager!) babysitters who were more than happy to take my little baby off my hands every now and then. Elizabeth also got to meet her Great-Grandma (my dear Grandma Osterland, and part of her namesake--my Grandma's name is Gertrude Audrey) for the first time, as well as my friend Susan's little boy Jack, who is nine months old.
Soon after our visit to Naperville, I was a single mom for nearly a solid week! Craig went up north on a snowmobiling trip with his friend Tom for a weekend. I was pretty anxious about facing two nights alone with Elizabeth, but fortunately the sleep routine went beautifully. (During this particular week she was exhibiting great "putting to bed" behavior--I could nurse and rock her and get her down by 9:30, 10 at the latest.) It was during this weekend that we made our first venture to the mall. I wrangled the stroller successfully for the first time, and realized I really hate taking the elevator!
Craig was then back home but needed to work late for a couple nights, and then had to go out of town for work for two more nights. Because of this, we had our first babysitter experience. I had been enrolled in a 5-series workshop for work, and needed to attend all of them in order to obtain my continuing ed credits; the plan had been for Craig to watch Elizabeth during that 3-hour afternoon session (and I was, frankly, looking forward for weeks to get out of the house and see my colleagues again!). With he was suddenly asked to go to Peoria, Illinois, I needed to problem solve! My girlfriend Jessica, who has an 18-month-old son, has always sung the praises of her babysitter Megan (a woman my age)...so, even though I was riddled with guilt for getting a babysitter for my 5-week-old, I decided I trusted my friend's reference and took the plunge. It went beautifully. Elizabeth slept through the whole event, and easily took a bottle for Megan. And I found a trusted babysitter I would readily call again...and I must admit it felt pretty liberating when I drove away from the house without my baby in the car. (But I could not wait to get back home, either!)
I was so relieved to have Craig back. Being a stay at home mom has been challenging in its loneliness. Before Elizabeth arrived, I didn't think I'd struggle this much with staying home; as a school employee I am used to having summers off, so I figured it would be like that. It's hard to describe, but it's a totally different experience, and sometimes the loneliness just ensconced me.
Craig got home just in time, because once Elizabeth turned 6 weeks old the next week, she changed! She quickly showed a trend of becoming fussy in the evenings, often beginning at 7:00 like clockwork. This fussiness often persisted until about 10 or 11 PM when she would finally go down. (As of this writing we are still experimenting with this. I am going to try "wearing" her more during the day in a sling to keep her calmer, and provide her with more structured naptimes--I think she gets overly tired at night.) I am trying not to get too stressed by this, and just take it as a phase...
Otherwise, we have been on the go a lot over the last few weeks. We have attended two baby music classes at our public library. It's kind of comical since she is by far the youngest baby there (all of the others are at least 6 months old, and interactive and mobile) and does not get anything out of the sessions, but I see it as good stimulation and a much-needed opportunity for me to get out of the house and be with adults! We have also made a few lunch dates with my friends and co-workers, including a teacher with whom I work who has a baby, Aaron, two days older than
Elizabeth. Sarah and I commisserated frequently during our pregnancies at work, and I hope we can get to know each other even better as we are beginning this parenting journey at the exact same time.
So...little by little, we are mapping out this journey. It is ever-unpredictable and I, who am often married to routine and predictability, have had to forcibly relax and take things as they come. Raising this baby has helped me to slow down and think more deliberately and carefully about most things. The latest emotion I am experiencing is the confusion about returning to work in a month. It is an indescribable mixture of dread and eager anticipation. I love my job and am anxious to interact with adults and think critically again. On the other hand, how can I leave this precious baby, who is becoming more interactive by the day? This is a daily matter of prayer, and I trust that God will carry me through this transition. My litmus test? I gave birth and brought a child into my life, disrupting it in the biggest imaginable way. If I survived that transition...I can certainly survive that one.
Time flies so quickly and I am just not good at keeping up with this blog. We have been keeping steadily busy. I hope I am not overdoing it in our activity!
At four weeks old Elizabeth spent three days in Naperville, my hometown. My parents and sister came up to visit us for a weekend and then brought me and Elizabeth back with them for a few days. At that point, I was more relaxed than I had been since she was born--it was a relief to be surrounded by three reliable (and very eager!) babysitters who were more than happy to take my little baby off my hands every now and then. Elizabeth also got to meet her Great-Grandma (my dear Grandma Osterland, and part of her namesake--my Grandma's name is Gertrude Audrey) for the first time, as well as my friend Susan's little boy Jack, who is nine months old.
Soon after our visit to Naperville, I was a single mom for nearly a solid week! Craig went up north on a snowmobiling trip with his friend Tom for a weekend. I was pretty anxious about facing two nights alone with Elizabeth, but fortunately the sleep routine went beautifully. (During this particular week she was exhibiting great "putting to bed" behavior--I could nurse and rock her and get her down by 9:30, 10 at the latest.) It was during this weekend that we made our first venture to the mall. I wrangled the stroller successfully for the first time, and realized I really hate taking the elevator!
Craig was then back home but needed to work late for a couple nights, and then had to go out of town for work for two more nights. Because of this, we had our first babysitter experience. I had been enrolled in a 5-series workshop for work, and needed to attend all of them in order to obtain my continuing ed credits; the plan had been for Craig to watch Elizabeth during that 3-hour afternoon session (and I was, frankly, looking forward for weeks to get out of the house and see my colleagues again!). With he was suddenly asked to go to Peoria, Illinois, I needed to problem solve! My girlfriend Jessica, who has an 18-month-old son, has always sung the praises of her babysitter Megan (a woman my age)...so, even though I was riddled with guilt for getting a babysitter for my 5-week-old, I decided I trusted my friend's reference and took the plunge. It went beautifully. Elizabeth slept through the whole event, and easily took a bottle for Megan. And I found a trusted babysitter I would readily call again...and I must admit it felt pretty liberating when I drove away from the house without my baby in the car. (But I could not wait to get back home, either!)
I was so relieved to have Craig back. Being a stay at home mom has been challenging in its loneliness. Before Elizabeth arrived, I didn't think I'd struggle this much with staying home; as a school employee I am used to having summers off, so I figured it would be like that. It's hard to describe, but it's a totally different experience, and sometimes the loneliness just ensconced me.
Craig got home just in time, because once Elizabeth turned 6 weeks old the next week, she changed! She quickly showed a trend of becoming fussy in the evenings, often beginning at 7:00 like clockwork. This fussiness often persisted until about 10 or 11 PM when she would finally go down. (As of this writing we are still experimenting with this. I am going to try "wearing" her more during the day in a sling to keep her calmer, and provide her with more structured naptimes--I think she gets overly tired at night.) I am trying not to get too stressed by this, and just take it as a phase...
Otherwise, we have been on the go a lot over the last few weeks. We have attended two baby music classes at our public library. It's kind of comical since she is by far the youngest baby there (all of the others are at least 6 months old, and interactive and mobile) and does not get anything out of the sessions, but I see it as good stimulation and a much-needed opportunity for me to get out of the house and be with adults! We have also made a few lunch dates with my friends and co-workers, including a teacher with whom I work who has a baby, Aaron, two days older than
Elizabeth. Sarah and I commisserated frequently during our pregnancies at work, and I hope we can get to know each other even better as we are beginning this parenting journey at the exact same time.
So...little by little, we are mapping out this journey. It is ever-unpredictable and I, who am often married to routine and predictability, have had to forcibly relax and take things as they come. Raising this baby has helped me to slow down and think more deliberately and carefully about most things. The latest emotion I am experiencing is the confusion about returning to work in a month. It is an indescribable mixture of dread and eager anticipation. I love my job and am anxious to interact with adults and think critically again. On the other hand, how can I leave this precious baby, who is becoming more interactive by the day? This is a daily matter of prayer, and I trust that God will carry me through this transition. My litmus test? I gave birth and brought a child into my life, disrupting it in the biggest imaginable way. If I survived that transition...I can certainly survive that one.
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