moving on up

Romy has been pulling up into a standing position, with assistance, for the past week. She will hold onto my fingers and pull until she is in a full standing position and then she begins to giggle and coo. Romy does this hilarious thing with her voice when she is happy. it sounds like a hiccup (I’ll have to tape it so I have it forever). You know she is really happy when she makes this noise. On her 7 month birthday, July 18th, I sat her next to the dishwasher as I unloaded it. Next thing I know, she reached up and placed her hands on the opened door and pulled herself into standing. Her first reaction was fear as I looked at her gasping to cry but that quickly turned into a hiccup with giggles. Then she looked at me with the question – now what? And kept on giggling.

This past weekend was a mommy weekend. She seemed so comfortable with me. So much so, that she would not nap well for fear of missing out on time with me or fear that I will be gone when she wakes up. She has not been napping well for me, but does well for everyone else. I wonder what this is about.

She had begun to roll about when she sleeps. Ted and I have discussed dropping the mattress so she will not be able to climb out. I guess the rule of thumb is that when the child can pull themselves up, it’s time to lower the mattress. I watch her when she isn’t looking and see her rolling this way and that and kicking her legs about. She has become a bit more interested in her crib.

Her eyes are still changing. They seem very hazel. I’m not sure if they are changing to brown or not. Every day they appear a different color.

I am not sure where she picked it up but recently she began to lower her voice very raspy (sounds like she is possessed) and then coughs and then begins again. It sounds so funny. It is almost as if she knows she is being funny.

Romy hung out with her friend Meredith last night. Meredith is two months older than she is. It’s neat because they will go to the same school. Her mommy, Sheri and I are hoping that they are friends…because we will remain friends. It is nice to have a mommy friend to hang out with and share baby experiences and relate to. Meredith is starting to try to walk. She walks while holding onto one finger from mommy. It’s great to see her develop. She is conquering milestone after milestone. Romy watches and is so intent. Won’t be long before she is mobile!!!

Romy is 7 mths old today!

Romy is 7 months old!

Wow – ok, time really DOES fly by after you have a baby. It is important to capture and jot down all the little things your baby does along the way because before you know it, they will be asking you for the car keys and you will be wondering where the time went.

The past seven months have been a whirlwind of emotions and full of new, wonderful, often trying experiences, but nonetheless, all have been experiences that have challenged me and made me grow as a individual, partner and a new mommy.

Here is what I recall…

Month ONE: Holy cow. This baby is not going anywhere and she is still here when we wake up. Who would have ever thought! Elation of the new package still fulfills me – welcoming all visitors so we can boast about our beautiful new baby. Household chores? Who CARES?!! What dog? When was the last day the cats were fed? Have you SEEN these cute little feet and hands? I suspected to be sorer than I was, but healed rather quickly. Breast-feeding is challenging but well worth every effort. So ecstatic to be able to sleep on my back, stomach and however the heck I want to sleep! Surprised at how quiet the baby is, she hardly ever cries. Christmas is a blur but enjoyed not having to go anywhere. Loving my slippers and sleeping on the futon in the TV room. Cannot believe how HUNGRY I am! Took 50 pictures a day! Posted pics online. We are so blessed and thankful. She is beautiful.

Month TWO: Elation still overwhelms me. Still in awe of the new little one. Fawning over her preciousness. Breast feeding has gotten much more comfortable. Still watching Bringing Home Baby and A Baby Story as they are the most wonderful comparable shows to my most recent experience. Thrilled to be fitting into three month pregnancy clothes. Starting to feel human again. Still sharing baby with new guests. Still sharing labor story with everyone who hasn’t heard it and some who have to hear it twice. Appreciating cooked meals from Ted’s mom. Napping when baby naps. Hormones still making me all giggly and warm inside though started to feel a bit more “questionable” like PMS. Waking every other hour to feed as she lay in her co-sleeper next to us in our bedroom. Watching Ted hold her as she sleep on his chest. Seeing how tiny she is against us and remembering how much she grew in just one month. Began pumping breast milk for reserves for when I go back to work. Introduced a pacifier. Took 50 pictures a day! Posted pics online. We are so blessed and thankful. She is beautiful.

Month THREE: Getting my period for the first time in almost a year. Job searching. Laura visits and meets Romy for the first time. Taking advantage of other people holding her and trying to get something accomplished in that short period of time. Inviting friends over to get chores accomplished. Comfortable with breast-feeding. Took 50 pictures a day! Began taking her to the Exeter Library for Lap-Sit time, a story and play time for infants. This is where we met Sheri (mommy) and Meredith (2 mths older than Romy)…a playmate and soon-to-be friend. Took on the stay-at-home mommy job and started cooking dinner for sweety! This may have happened prior to this time, but I cannot remember. We never went hungry….i know that much. Feeding baby every other hour. Took plenty of pictures a day! Posted pics online. Could get things done while she slept. We are so blessed and thankful. She is beautiful.

Month FOUR: Job searching and interviewing. Getting very anxious as unemployment benefits will run out soon. Totally over the baby shows…I can do it all better. Hahhahhahaha. Loving Jon & Kate plus 8 now. Could still get things done while she slept. No longer napping when she naps….doing chores instead. Wondering how I will juggle two kids. We are so blessed and thankful. She is beautiful.

Month FIVE: Enjoying EVERY MINUTE I have at home with baby. Wishing Romy could get where she wanted to go on her own. Wishing I didn’t have to work but stressed about not working. Keeping the house relatively clean and proud of it. Try rice cereal but she hates it. Introduce vegetables and applesauce and watch her enjoy new foods. We are so blessed and thankful. She is beautiful.

Month SIX: Romy is just about six mths of age when she starts daycare and I start my new job (Roland & Schlegel). She gets a cold a week into daycare and I get sick too. Ted gets sick shortly thereafter. Baby gets over illnesses but I hang onto whatever it is as we enter Month SEVEN. Romy gets her first tooth about 6 ½ mths. I find it practically impossible to do everything I think I am responsible for and haven’t learned to ask for help with anything. Feel the house is an utter mess and let it bother me. Though by the end of the month I start to allow things go a little more. Poop is taking on a new consistency and smell. Loving that I don’t have to change ALL the dirty diapers since she is watched during the weekdays. Trying to keep up with posting pictures online. We are so blessed and thankful. She is beautiful.

Month SEVEN: Romy pulled herself up to a standing position last night as I placed her next to the dishwasher door as it lay open. She placed both of her hands down and pushed up and stood for a second, almost started to cry but then cooed a little giggle. Might be crawling soon as she downward-dogged it this morning. I’m still sick. She is still the best thing on earth. We are so blessed and thankful. She is beautiful.

There are days when i think i'm the worst mom ever and then there are days when i think i'm the best. There are times when i think i'm the worst partner and there are days when i feel i'm the best. and then there are days when i feel like i couldn't possibly be responsible for any mor things and then there are days when i can't wait to have another baby. I guess what it boils down to is that, after seven months, i'm doing the best that I can. I'm so happy, so in love and so blessed with this life....i remember this every chance i get.

Party girl

She is SO CUTE!

Romy – you are so freakin cute it makes my heart dance with enjoyment every time I even think of you!

We had a surprise party for my mom’s birthday (58) last Saturday, July 12th. The secret was well kept and Mom was certainly surprised. Romy enjoys crowds of people. She pretty much skipped her naps for the day and didn’t go to bed until late. My brother was amazed at how well she behaved through the entire party. Romy seems to like to take it all in. She stares and is quiet like she is thinking and processing everything she sees. I like to think I am the same way. Ted is very similar to that too. She is SUCH a delight when she is not teething.

Romy is trying to go from sitting to belly in order to try to crawl. She gets discouraged when she cannot get to where she wanted to go. However, I have noticed that she will use her butt while in sitting position in order to move forward. It is when she is laying down that she cannot figure out how to go forward.

I decided to buy some more toys today. Time flies by and next thing you know you find yourself thinking – I wonder if she could use some more challenging toys…those old toys seem to be boring her. She is also growing out of her 9 mth clothes very quickly. She is into 12 mth clothing now. I imagine she is around 19 pounds.

She LOVES when her Daddy even threatens to kiss her coming at her making piggy noises. She will flinch up with anticipation. It is so hilarious. She laughs out loud. One of my favorite memories which I think will stay embedded in my mind for a while (hopefully forever) will be of the three of us laying in bed laughing and playing. I’m sure there will be more days like that, but even as an almost 7 month old, Romy is able to enjoy the childish antics her mommy and daddy play just to get a rise out of her. If only she knew … if only she could grasp… just how much she is loved.

We have been spending more time with her getting her to walk. she loves to have her hands held while she tries to take one foot in front of the other. She starts to giggle and click her voice (odd noise) while she is walking. She tends to drag her toes as she steps tippy-toe. She needs some shoes to assist her. Socks with grippy bottoms help. She will hold herself up while holding onto the coffee table.

She is learning how to be gentle while petting the animals. She pets Walden and he tries to play with his toys with her. We haven't quite figured out how this will work, but Romy has quite a strong grip and Walden tends to think she is playing tug-o-war.

She has moved to Stage two foods. Her poop is becoming more solid! ahhh...the milestones!

Bee stings

Holy hanna – when you say JUMP – I’ll jump…and take yer a** to the emergency room to prevent respiratory failure from being poisoned by some damn yellow jackets. Scary.

Ted was attacked by an angry mob of bees yesterday and I did just that…drove 85 mph to the hospital to prevent a brush with death. Thank goodness we made it in time and he is recuperating well after being pumped full of enough allergy meds and steroids to knock a horse off its feet.

Thank goodness I was home at the time! Talk about adrenaline rush...

I love you sweetheart! I would do anything to prevent harm to you!

One month down...

I have GOT to blog more often...

To say we survived the first month would be slighting the fact that though we made it, Ted and I are still sick after the first month of my starting work and Romy starting daycare. We are both battling a reoccurring sinus infection. Romy is feeling better, although the poor thing was battling an ear infection and a cold and then busted a tooth through. Little did we know she was working on the latter since all the symptoms correspond with having a cold….of which she had anyway. The first month has been a tough one. One where household chores have been thrown to the back seat and meal-making has become a juggling act with baby to mom and baby to dad in order to keep baby happy while dinner is made.

Over the past month I have learned that being a working mommy is a bit of a chore. Learning to prioritize and being able to put Romy and Ted first in lieu of cleaning has been a struggle for me. I HATE a dirty kitchen. There have been more and more times when the kitchen has been dirty when I turn in for bed. Of course, the fact that I have been combating a sinus infection, coming, going and coming back again, have made it that more difficult for me to stay energized enough to complete chores after Romy goes to bed. After she hits the sack….we are short to follow. It’s no wonder that parents drink so much caffeine…

Romy’s schedule is as follows: Monday and Tuesday, Jackie (Grandmother) watches her at our house; Wednesday she goes to “school” (I call daycare this as it seems less of a nanny situation since she is really learning when she is there), Thursday my mom (Nana) comes to the house and Friday, school again. It is nice to NOT have to pack her bag every day, especially on Mondays.

I keep waiting for Romy to show more interest in crawling but so far her efforts are moving her entire body backwards and becoming irritated when she finds herself more out of reach from the toy that is in front of her. I like to hold her hands and have her stand on the floor. I’m trying to work on her standing from a sitting position. She loves to stand on the floor and tries moving like she is walking. She understands the theory of one foot in front of the other so that is a start.

I have noticed how different she is with me than with Ted. Ted makes her smile and laugh – he is the funny parent. I guess I’m all business because she seems to know how to work me. For instance…she knows if she spits out her pacifier enough times that I will eventually offer her the breast whereas she will have to cry herself to sleep with Daddy. I think weaning her from the breast will be difficult. I have been trying to let her go longer and longer in her crib but it seems like one meal during the night is what we are sticking to for now. While she was trying to push out that first tooth, she wanted to suckle all night long. And of course, I let her. And of course….I went unrested.

She is eating more and more food throughout the day. I am still only breast feeding her for breakfast and then she gets (BM) milk and food at lunch and (BM) milk and food for dinner. She is nursed to go to sleep if she needs some comforting and isn’t tired enough to put herself to sleep. Again, I think I spoil her with nursing…

I’m going to TRY to continue breast feeding her until it becomes an issue with teeth or low on supply. Right now I am pumping once a day, which seems adequate, but I have had to dip into my frozen supply more times than one. To go without formula is my goal….but it’s a difficult (and exhausting) goal to attain.

The new job is going well. The convenience of being so close to home is GREAT! The people are friendly and the atmosphere relaxed. It’s nice to have a reason to get dressed up – although getting dressed up some mornings is challenging. Doing my hair has become a feat in its own. I wear it up more often than down. Washing it has to be done at night. Styling it should be done at night too, but I often find myself going to bed with a wet head and then throwing it up in the morning. Two months ago I had 5 inches cut off and thought I was ready to go short. I ended up so annoyed with how short it was I am now growing it back out again.

Summer is flying by and I just thought the other day that we really have no summer events planned. I had thought that joining the pool would be fun, but I’m glad we didn’t because I have no idea when we would find the time to go. I think when Romy needs me less, planning more events will become a necessity. Right now, it seems she is in my lap more often than not.

I was giggling at her this morning while she stared down the basement steps through the cat door for about 5 minutes. She was enamored by whatever it was she saw. Perhaps thinking to herself, I wonder if I could fit through there? She is still delighted with the animals. She reaches for them and pets them with full hand when she can. I am trying to teach her “gently” when petting since she goes at them with full hand open and closes grabbing a full hand of fur. Get an animal on an “off” day – she may get bitten.

Speaking of which….she loves to pinch me. She reaches and stretches when she is nursing and PINCHES! It HURTS. I gently grab her hand and firmly say NO. Any ideas on how to handle that would be appreciated.

When she does become mobile, we will have a lot of child-proofing to do. As it is, we will need to become more conscious about what we leave out and where she can reach. I already think she will be eating dogfood if we don’t’ move it. She enjoys watching Walden when he eats. She rests in her walker, watches and giggles.

Her smile melts me. Her giggles fill me with joy. Her motions and movements make me proud. Although I whine (more than I should probably) – everything she does sparks an emotion in me.

I am so blessed with this life.