Tuesday, June 18, 2013

4 Months Old

Dear Anita,
My sweet girl, you are growing up too fast.   Now 12 pounds and 24 inches long.  Size 1 diapers.  Size 3mo clothing, some being snug and most fitting just right.  Won't be long before we hit the next size.



We are having so much fun.  Every day you change and develop a new skill it seems.  In the last month you've learned to roll over, grab toys, and are full-on cooing and laughing.  I swear girl, your as loud as your Daddy (and that's LOUD).  No longer sleeping in your swing, but your pretty crib instead.  Your also too big for your swaddle,  and with starting to roll over its not safe for you to sleep in anymore.  I suspect this might give us a few interrupted nights of sleep, but we'll get there. Your favorite toys right now are your Taggie's blanket and your activity mat.  You're also starting to drool, which is a definite sign of teething, so your Sophie the giraffe has been in your mouth quite the bit too.

 
            
We recently took you on your first mini-camping trip, up to Tim & Di's cabin in Donnelly near Lake Cascade.  It was the three of us, Tim and Di, April, John and they're boys Brad and Tyler, as well as Timothy.  We took the camper and four wheeler.  You took your first ride on it with Daddy and he said you LOVED it.  You and I hung out at the cabin soaking up the sun and playing in the creek while Daddy went fishing with John.  They came back with 27 big perch and we had a fish fry that evening.  We did so well away from the house equipped with all the right gear and that was the most important part.  Oh except for that very important part Mamma forgot for herself, the flanges to the breast pump.  This required Daddy to fabricate something homemade out of a water bottle, but we got the job done and thankfully didn't have to leave early and go home.  The best piece of gear we had was the mosquito net to use over your pack n' play and your jogger.  It worked great that evening when us ladies took a stroll down to the boat launch.  A part of the walk was mud bogging your super cool jogger through a field.  I got a few bites, but you were just fine.  That night was the first time sleeping away from your swing, and I thought for sure it could be a long and sleepless night.  But as you do, you took it like a champ and cuddled in between me and your Daddy and slept like the angel you are.  And with that going so well, is when we figured we'd try the crib when we got home.  You little rock star, you!

Another big thing right now is your transition from breast milk to formula.  I had always planned to nurse you through to the six month mark, but with going back to work full time its turned into a painful, cloggy experience.  Your pediatrician at your 4 month checkup said I should switch you over, so we started last night.  So far so good. It'll be a slow process to wean completely, but I'm looking forward to more time with you away from that dreaded pump and less pain and anguish.  My heart breaks though, I miss nursing you so much.  A special chapter closing.  I try not to think about it, otherwise I get tearful.

This weekend a most exciting something is happening.  YOU GET TO MEET YOUR GREAT GRANDMA!  This is my Daddy's Mom, Geraldine Burbank.  She lives in Ohio and is flying out to visit us.  I can't wait for her to come off the plane and finally meet you, oh what a moment it'll be!  Hopefully while she's here we can go to the park and feed the ducks like she did with me when I was a little girl, and take a stroll on the green belt.  This will probably be her last trip out visiting Idaho, so we have to make it extra special.  After this its up to us to go see her, which we'll gladly do!

A few holidays have passed this last month...

Mother's Day - We started the morning off with a visit to Grandma Vicky's.  She loved seeing you.  We then headed up highway 21 to Idaho City. over to Crouch and north to Silver Creek Plunge.  It was just what I wanted to do for the day, take a nice drive and show you the pretty mountains of Idaho.  It's my favorite place to be!  We took our time, looked at all the pretty colors, and just enjoyed being a family.  Our dog Cody was with us too, she always loves a trip to the mountains.

My 32nd birthday - Not so great.  I was terribly clogged for 2 days and stayed home suffering all day long trying to remedy the situation.  The good part is that you were there with me.  You got me the sweetest birthday card complete with an outline of your hand print inside.

Father's Day - I was camping the evening before with my girlfriends, but I got up early and made it home by 9 a.m. to spend the day with you and Daddy.  You and I hid cute little notes, quotes and music lyrics all over the house for Daddy to discover.  He loved it.  We also bought him an outfit perfect for walking with you to the store.  We spent the afternoon in the backyard playing on a blanket while Daddy made his tomato cages for the garden.  It was a lovely, relaxing day. 




That's about it for our four month post.  You're just a super sweet and easy girl.  Summer is here and there's nothing quite like lying with you on a blanket in the yard and staring up at the blue sky and watching the green leaves dance.  Let's do that tonight k...

Sunday, June 9, 2013

It's the little things

Like folding her laundry...


Tuesday, May 21, 2013

She's found her voice!

Sunday afternoon Anita discovered her newfound vocal abilities.  We're now hearing some adorable coos and goo-goos.  (Pardon the sideways video...I'm new at this) 


It just gets better and better. 

Friday, May 17, 2013

Sunday, May 12, 2013

2013: Ten things I love about being your Mother

This will be my Mother's Day tradition...



1.  Your my dream come true, and our precious miracle in every sense of the word.
2.  You wake with a smile and it always starts my day on a wonderful high.
3.  I get to dress you in sweet little outfits.
4.  Your smell, every time I hug you hello I nuzzle you neck and breathe it in.
5.  You're presence has renewed my love for your father, I'm so thankful he gave me you!
6.  Rocking you to sleep
7.  We are starting to read books together.  I hope we do this always.
8.  Your my little shopping sidekick.
9.  Breastfeeding and having such a special bond no one else can ever have with you.  I'll miss this...
10.  Showing you off to the world, your the best thing I've ever done!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

A blog about NOT blogging

My oh my is life busy.  When at home, the last thing I have time to do is get on the PC and write away to my hearts content.  And yesterday was the first day back to work, it's just as busy here.  Quite a stark reality of adding 3 pumping sessions into my daily routine here.  Maybe those moments will turn into my blogging hour, but as of right now, not a chance. 

Just a quick update... Anita is growing fast, and is now 23 1/2 inches and over 10 pounds.  Healthy as can be, sleeps all night.  She now smiles and plays with her hands.  We're so close to playing with toys!  And me coming back to work is going well so far, I miss her terribly but it's a manageable emotion.  And I must pat myself on the back, I've added a walking regime into my mornings - go Mamma!  Feels so good to get out in the mornings and wake up with the birds.

Miss you my dear blog world.... one day I'll get the chance to add you back into my routine.  One Day.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Two Months In

Two months she's been in our arms, putting a smile on our face and joy in our hearts.  I cherish each and every moment.  Her sounds.  Her smell.  The feel of her head nestled in my neck as we cuddle chest to chest.  She's such a sweet little girl and we love her more than we've ever loved anything.  With her down for a morning nap, I'm happy to have a few moments to sit down and write a line or two.  I do miss blogging!

 ~~~ HOW'S BABY ~~~
Dear Anita,
Your two month checkup with Dr. Cron was this past Monday.  You're 9 pounds, 6 ounces and 22.5 inches long!  You just came out of Newborn size diapers and clothes, which made Mommy tear up a little.  I just love you so tiny in my arms, because I know you'll only get bigger from here.  You also had your first set of vaccines at this appointment, which was not fun!  I'm glad you won't remember it, because Mommy and Daddy won't soon forget.  You screamed while Daddy held your hands as the nurses gave you three injections in your tiny thighs, and Mommy put her face in a corner and cried.  But it was over in a flash and you stopped crying shortly thereafter.  The day was stressful though, your leg became swollen, hot and red and you were upset and fussy.  I went to the store and got some aceteminphen and that helped you through the night.  We were so sad to see you in pain like that.
Aside from that, you're a very happy and alert baby.  And oh, you're smile.  It's so beautiful honey!  You smile more at Daddy than at me, which makes it all that more special.  You've yet to have a bad day, just a few fussy hours here and there.  You drink only breastmilk and my oh my do you have a healthy appetite!  Mamma's doing her best to keep up with you.  During the day you have two or three naps. You like me to rock you to sleep. You're sleeping well at night, anywhere from 5-8 hours.  You love your swing, and its where you sleep at night.  Daddy puts you down and sits on the floor in front of your swing while you drift off.  You've discovered your hands, you move them around in front of your face and just the other day started to put your fist into your mouth.  Daddy worries you might start sucking your thumb, but I don't mind.  Lord knows, it'll be easier for you to find at night rather than your binky!  Your binky you seem to only want when your getting tired.  Yesterday I showed you your first toy, and hung it down in front of you.  Your eyes got really big, and you batted it around with the backs of your hands because you're not quite to the point of grabbing objects yet.  It overwhelmed you after a few minutes, so we'll do that sparingly for now.  You seem to really like when I read to you, you watch me with those big blue eyes and seem very content.  It's hard for Mamma to get through a story without crying sometimes, such a precious moment between the two of us.  A few of the books we are reading are:  Guess How Much I Love You, The Giving Tree, and If I Could.
You enjoy car rides and your jogger, we've been on a few walks as the springtime season warms up.  And you now fit into your baby bjorn, just last night Daddy took you to the neighbor's to visit and you fell asleep.  We got the sweetest picture of it, you look like you were praying.  We video chat with family in Michigan about once a week, and everyone says how alert and big you are becoming.  Being the sweetie you are, you always share that pretty smile. 
A few nicknames I have for you are AnitaRita, GracyFace, Babygirl and Pumpkin.

~~~ HOW'S MOMMY ~~~
Content, happy, and so thankful.  Still in awe some mornings waking up to this new reality of being a mother.  Phil and I are both home and I'm so thankful we're experiencing it all together.  Anita has been such an easy baby, but a baby sure keeps one busy.  We wake around 7 to nurse, I have a cup of coffee, put her down for morning nap and then a mad 1-2 hr dash to eat, shower and tidy up the house before she wakes and needs to eat again.  Then she's up and we're busy nursing, changing diapers, playing and reading books, tummy time, midafternoon nap.  Another quick window for me to exercise and tidy up some more.  Before I know it Phil's peeking in asking what's for dinner, and I'm like "Dinner!?!?"  A hot bath at the end of each day is so appreciated, because taking care of a baby all day - I'm tuckered out!  Phil happily takes over and gets her all to himself for an hour or so.  We put her down around 9 or 10 and she's out for 5-8 hours usually.  Very lucky for her age I'm told - yay!
At my six week checkup I was shocked to discover I'd not only lost my 18 lbs of baby weight, but 12 lbs on top of that.  The one challenge has been neck and back pain.  For two weeks now I've been in physical therapy.  It's due to breastfeeding and poor posture, as well as looking down at her as she nurses.  AlsI'm on a daily regiment consisting of stretches and exercises using a stretch band, evercise ball and some floor exercises.  I pray it gets better soon, because as it is right now I can only hold her for about 5-10 minutes and have to hand her off. 
Breastfeeding is going well, but I worry every day if I'll produce enough milk to keep us going.  It's a grueling process, as she eats 9-10 times a day.  So if I nurse her at the breast, it comes out to around 2 1/2 hours each day.  And on the days I pump and feed her by bottle it doubles the timing on it all.  Up until about a week ago I was able to produce 5 ounces in excess to stock in the freezer for when I go back to work, but this week that's gone away and she's drinking everything I can produce.  And she used to be satisfied on one breast, but now we're taking everything from both sides, and sometimes still needing 1-2 ounces that's previously been pumped.  Whew, it exhausts me just thinking about it.  But it's definately the most amazing bond with her, and I feel so honored to give her my ALL.  I love knowing that we have this special bond, just the two of us.  I pray formula isn't in our near future, but then again I think I need to be realistic and know that it may very well be.  Good news is that I have a double, electric and handsfree pump on order, we're hoping that quickens the process and maybe even helps to increase supply.  Next week we'll start working on a schedule that'll mimic me returning to work, I hope its not as difficult as I think it's going to be. 
I've been in to see the guys at work a few times, they loved meeting Anita.  It's been nice to not have to worry about being away, the office is just as clean and tidy as I left it and they keep telling me to enjoy this time at home with my family.  And while I'll miss being home with her, I'm going to enjoy getting back to the office.  However, I can't even imagine how tough that first week is going to be!

~~~ HOW'S DADDY ~~~
Smitten with his baby girl, that's for sure.  They have such an amazing bond, she just lights up when he walks in the room.  I love watching it.  She really loves his deep voice.  He's been the most attentive Dad and Husband, always close by to experience and help wherever needed.  And when he's not inside the house with us, he's outside working on one of his many projects.  This past month he's been working on classic Honda motorcycles and other small engine items to sell on the List of Craig.  He took on a huge project of cleaning up an old farm and taking on the process of scrapping all the metal that came from it, brought in a big chunk of change!  I can tell he's doing all that he can do project-wise before I get back to work.  Soon it'll be him and Anita home together, and he'll really be busy.  It's also time to work in the yard, which has always been a love of his.  Yesterday he thatched the lawn and turned on the sprinkers.  Next up will be edging, mowing, fertilizing, you name it.  I'm always amazed at the energy level he has, I really don't know how he does it!

~~~ WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO ~~~
Staying home mostly, conserving funds and spending as much quality time before our babymoon is over.  Easter was Anita's first holiday.  We had every intention of making it the first day to church with her, and then I thought of all those kiddies with germs and decided to stay home instead.  And we have our very own giant bunny, so we did a little photo shoot of our own.  I couldn't believe how well behaved Cadbury was, letting Phil flip her all around, setting the baby on her and what-not.  It was fun!
It was also Anita's first time in a dress, she looked darling!
Other things we've been up to...many friends and some family have been by to visit and we couldn't be more loved.  A few walks to the store on nice days.  Weeding the flower bed.  Drove to Mountain Home last week to visit family as well as the cemetary to see my Dad.  That was a tough moment, realizing my Dad will never be a Grandfather to Anita.  I miss him more and more as the years pass by.  Also took a drive up to Hailey to visit and BBQ with our friends Jason and Courtney, it was a great day exploring the beautiful nature preserve nex to their house.  Anita did well with 6+ hours in the car. 

Some photos from the past few weeks...

Anita met her Great, Great Uncle Fred

Making funny faces with Daddy

That sweet smile
 
Visiting our church, St. Mary's for the first time


Exploring the Draper Wood River Reserve in Hailey, Idaho

Everyone says I look just like Daddy

Visiting Grandpa Dean

First of many tractor rides with Daddy, he was so excited!