Kennedy's 35 Week Check In

Happy Easter!!!
I'm pretty late posting this, sorry!!  It's been a bit of a rough week.  Kennedy is now 8 months old.  8 months?!?!  Where has the time gone?  She is starting to cut her top two teeth and has been... well... miserable.  Her bottom two teeth came in relatively quickly and with little distress, so I guess I didn't completely understand the full effect of teething on a normally happy baby.  Not only has she been extra clingy and cranky (which is really unlike her), she has been really congested and snotty and even spiked a temp overnight one night.  In short, teething just plain sucks.  So... teething she is and hopefully those pearly whites will pop through soon so my smiley (and not so snotty) baby comes back.

 

  How Big Is Baby?

• Definitely over 17 pounds and getting really really tall.
• Kennedy is outgrowing her 6 month outfits quickly and even some of her 9 month onesies seem small.  We had another baby clothing retirement ceremony this week.  Almost all of her 6 month clothes are put away now and we are (FINALLY) starting to break out some spring outfits.  Hopefully the weather will follow our lead and warm up.
• Since she isn't walking yet, we don't put shoes on her all the time, but when we do she is a size 3.  Already!  Wow!
• Full time cloth diapering. We are out one snap on each side and one snap on the rise on all of her dipes.  We have gone up a second snap on the rise on a few of her diapers and so far we are getting a great fit!

Development & Milestones  

• BLW is going great.  She eats so well!!  She can now pick up her puffs with just her thumb and index finger and put them in her mouth.  No more using her wet hand to stick them too and shoving her whole fist in her mouth (although that was really cute!)
• Kennedy has been crawling up a storm.  Her coordination is much improved and she crawls with ease.  She can also transition easily from crawling to sitting to standing.  She isn't quite so graceful with standing to sitting, but that will come with time.
• She is starting to cruise around her crib, holding onto the handrail and walking up and down the length of the crib.
• Still no real standing on her own, but she is getting closer.
• Her new favorite word seems to be "ba ba"... we aren't sure where this came from or what it means (maybe another word for Lucy?) since we don't call her bottle that and she doesn't seem to correlate it with bottle.  Whatever it means, she loves to say it.  A lot.  I just love her baby babble.
• No progress in the signing department yet, although I must admit we have not been as consistant as we should.  Hopefully we will get better about signing more often so she can pick it up.

Diet/Nursing

• Nursing has been pretty good.  Our only problem has been since Kennedy is so congested, she has been having a little trouble staying latched (and breathing while nursing, lol) so it takes her a little longer than usual, but I'm in no rush.  We make it work.  She also seems to be comfort nursing a bit more too, but I don't mind.  If it helps her feel a little better, it's the least I can do.
• Pumping at work has been pretty good.  Nothing really new here.
• BLW is going really well.  This week baby girl had ham (of course, for Easter), crescent rolls, asparagus, pancakes and lots of other yummy foods that I can't remember right now.  She really is a little munching machine.
• We are starting to work a little more with drinking water from sippy cups.  I tried one brand a few weeks ago and Kennedy was more interested in banging it on her tray than drinking from it.  I had heard that possibly the kind with a straw in it may be easier for her, so for Easter I got a cute little bunny sippy cup with a straw.  Welp, same story.  She is just not interested in drinking from it.  I will have Kevin work with her during the week to see if she may be more interested if it is milk.

Sleep

• Naps in the crib have been so-so this week.  I blame her teeth and her stuffy nose more than anything.  Hopefully next week will be better.
• Sleep-wise,we have regressed some.  She has been in bed with us pretty much all night every night.  At this point, if she gets to sleep and we get to sleep, it's a win in my book. 

 
PP Mommy Check In

• A pound down again and I really didn't make any progress working out.  The weather took a crap again, but at some point the snow has got to melt right.  Right?!?!?
• Right now I am about 119 lbs.  
• *For reference, my highest pregnancy weight was 162, my pre-pregnancy weight was 130 and my goal weight is 125* 

How Is Daddy?

• Kevin had a rough week too.  I have miss captain cranky pants to myself all morning and he gets the pleasure of dealing with her crankiness at night.  It's tough not having each other as back up.  I'm hoping this coming week is better for him too.

Any appointments, visitors or outings?  Anything else new?

• Aside from turning 8 months, nothing new really.
• Cloth diapering is still going great!! 

  Product Rave: 

• We are loving Kennedy's new bibs this week.  She had become a pro at ripping off her velcro bibs, so I ordered these cuties from etsy with a snap in the back.

 
Any upcoming developments, milestones?  What's next?

• Next pedi visit is at the end of April.

Picture Time

8 Months, In Pictures

Kennedy's 34 Week Check In

We had another great week.  Baby girl is crawling like crazy and seems to really enjoy her new found independence.   

How Big Is Baby?

• Probably about 17 pounds and change now.  Grow, baby, grow!
• Kennedy is outgrowing her 6 month outfits quickly and even some of her 9 month onesies seem small.
• Since she isn't walking yet, we don't put shoes on her all the time, but when we do she is a size 3.  Already!  Wow!
• Full time cloth diapering. We are out one snap on each side and one snap on the rise on all of her dipes.  We have gone up a second snap on the rise on a few of her diapers and so far we are getting a great fit!

Development & Milestones  

• BLW is going wonderfully.  Her coordination is excellent and her pincer grasp is really coming along.  It is so fun to watch her learn and grow every day.  I kind of wish I would have video taped her more when we first started so I could compare it to how well she does now.  What a difference!
• Last week started Kennedy's forward crawling and ended Lucy's reign of lazy days.  Kennedy zooms around the house and loves to chase after Lucy.  Her coordination with crawling is greatly improved from last week, so now is is super speedy.
• Baby girl also loves to pull herself up, now in her crib too!!  This weekend we sadly had to lower the crib because this little rascal will be trying to escape before we know it.
• Still no real standing on her own, but when I help her to stand her balance is getting better.  She will be up on her own very soon!
• Still no new words, but I'm sure "da da" is very close
• We are also working very hard on signing.  We are starting off with just a few... ma ma, da da, puppy, milk, more and all done.  I am very excited to help her learn to communicate with us even before she can talk.

Diet/Nursing

• Nursing is awesome.  No more biting this week.  It's actually been just a really great week all around.
• Pumping at work has been great!!  I am slowly getting a little less with each session,  but I think this is a good thing.  Maybe I will be able to phase out pumping all together and kick start  my cycle again.
• BLW is going well as always.  This week, Kennedy ate fish sticks, home made fries, asparagus, carrots, omelets, yogurt puffs and lots of other fun stuff.  She has a great appetite!

Sleep

• Naps in the crib are going really well, although some days it takes her fooorrreevvvvverrrr to fall asleep.  Typically though she will nurse herself to sleep then sleep for a good hour after I lay her down in the crib.  I'll take it!
• Sleep-wise, she had a really good week.  She still isn't in her crib all night, but we are getting there.

 
PP Mommy Check In

• A pound up, but really no big deal as I am still 5 pounds under my goal.  I really amped up the cardio this week and am considering starting P90X this coming week.
• Right now I am about 120 lbs.  
• *For reference, my highest pregnancy weight was 162, my pre-pregnancy weight was 130 and my goal weight is 125* 

How Is Daddy?

• Kevin is doing really well.  He has been working on her crawling and standing and it has sure paid off.  His new job is going well for him also, but we are both really looking forward to our vacation.

Any appointments, visitors or outings?  Anything else new?

• We got the convertible car seat all situated, finally.  We went with a Britax Pavillion 70-g3 and boy it is a beast of a car seat.  Kennedy looks so small in this one (versus looking like a gigantor in the infant seat).  We are very happy with the new seat and after a few practice runs, we have all of the clips and clasps down.  We will be buying a second one for Kevin's car very soon.
• Cloth diapering is still going great!! 

  Product Rave: 

• We are loving Kennedy's new big girl car seat, Britax Pavillion 70-g3.

 
Any upcoming developments, milestones?  What's next?

• Next pedi visit is at the end of April.

Picture Time

Kennedy's 33 Week Check In

33 weeks, huh?  Wow... we're really getting up there.  Closing in quickly on 8 months and growing like a weed.  Baby girl has made big gains in the crawling (FORWARD) department this week.  Lucy will never have a moment's peace again.   

Enjoying her first piece of steak

  How Big Is Baby?

• I think Kennedy has to be about 17 pounds by now.
• She is in mostly 6 and 9 month outfits right now although I just found a 3 month sweater that still fits.  Yes, I did a little happy dance.
• Remember last week when I said I think Kennedy wears a size 2 or 3 in baby shoes.  Well, by process of elimination (of a rather pricey pair of baby TOMS, grrr), I now know that she does NOT wear a size 2.  Try as I might to squish her chubby little Fred Flinstone feet, it was just not going to happen.  Now I have to wait to catch the TOMS on sale on Zulily again so I can get a size 3 (and by then she better not have grown into a 4!!!)
• Full time cloth diapering. We are out one snap on each side and one snap on the rise on all of her dipes.  We have gone up a second snap on the rise on a few of her diapers and so far we are getting a great fit!

Development & Milestones  

• BLW is still going great.  Kennedy's pincer grasp is excellet now as is her hand to mouth coordination.  She is doing really well with eating period.  We are so proud of her!
• We finally have some forward movement!!!  And boy is she moving now.  It was like one night while I was at work, Kevin sent me a video of her inching forward... then the next day, BAM!  She was zooming around all over the place.  
• Kennedy can pull herself up and take a few steps to straighten herself out now without any help.  She also likes to hold daddy's hands and practice walking.
• She has been able to stand (after mommy gets her feet jussssst right) for a few seconds, but I am not counting it as standing on her own yet since she needs my help to get all set up.  Soon though.  Very soon.
• No new words this week, but she says Ma Ma and Ba Ba (Lucy) all the time.  I think daddy is getting jealous waiting for his turn.

Diet/Nursing

• Nursing is still going great!  Baby girl has tried to bite twice this week (OUCH!) but I think we are over that.  A soft but firm "no" and a break from nursing for a few minutes gets the point across.
• Pumping at work has been great!!  I am waiting to get accepted as a donor so I can send off my extra milk.
• BLW is great!!  This week Kennedy tried plums, strawberries, steak, chicken tenders from Smokey Bones and a quesadilla from Moe's (on Moe's Monday of course!).  She has been gobbling up omelets, toast, pineapple, kiwi, chicken and avacado like it's nobody's business.  Daddy also made Kennedy her very own baby pizza this week which she loved!!!

Sleep

• Same story with the crib.  She spends the first half of the night in there.  I know by this point, most parents are dying for their little one to sleep through the night in their crib (if they aren't already), but this works for us.  :)
• Sleep-wise, she is doing a little better with her early morning back to back nursing sessions.  Still up every few hours, but it's better than every 30-45 minutes.
• Naps have been really great this week.  She is napping in her crib most of the time (unless mommy or daddy needs a nap too) and sleeping from 30 minutes to 2 hours at a stretch.

 
PP Mommy Check In

• Staying about the same here.  Weather has been a beast so no outside activity.  Is it spring YET?
• Right now I am about 119 lbs.  
• *For reference, my highest pregnancy weight was 162, my pre-pregnancy weight was 130 and my goal weight is 125*  

 

How Is Daddy?

• Kevin had another great week with baby girl.  She decided to show off her crawling skills to him first which, of course, gives him the bragging rights in the house for the time being.  I guess I'll let hi have this one.  :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any appointments, visitors or outings?  Anything else new?

• We finally decided to set up Kennedy's convertible car seat yesterday.  I'm not a huge fan of the way it is positioned in the car right now, but since it is snowing cats and dogs neither Kevin nor I really feel like monkeying around with it... sooo... Kennedy will be using her infant seat for a few more days.  She is well within the weight limit, so it's not a huge deal, but I am kind of excited (and a little sad) for her to move up to the next seat... and it will be nice to not have to carry the whole thing in and out of the sitter's house.  She is heavy!!!
• Cloth diapering is still going great!! 

  Product Rave: 

• This week I am totally loving her super cute baby TOMS... too bad they don't fit!!!  :(
• Also loving the adorable St. Patty's Day diaper that Nana Lorrie (aka Gam Gam) sent.  How cute is this??

 
Any upcoming developments, milestones?  What's next?

• Next pedi visit is at the end of April.

Picture Time

 

Run Run Run

Today was my first run outside in a loooong time. A few observations:

1.  How the heck is there STILL snow on the ground when it is nearly 60 degrees today. Go away, snow!!! 
2. Snow on the ground + my favorite super porous running shoes = cold feet. I don't like cold feet. I don't like snow. Again, go away, snow!!!
3. My daughter weighs approx 17 pounds. Her stroller weighs approx 12 pounds. Pushing my daughter in her stroller while running is like pushing 75 pounds. Mathematical mystery. It must be the snow. I hate snow.
4. If you are one of those people (like me) who can't walk straight, and you are therefore one of those people (like me) who can't run straight... Then pushing a stroller while running is not meant for you. For you normal straight walkers and runners, its like when you get that shopping cart at the grocery store (the one I always end up with)... You know the one with the googley eyed wheel that goes every direction but straight? Yeah, its like that... On crack... in the snow.
5. Why does this part of the country not believe in sidewalks?? Why???  Must have something to do with snow.  :/
6. Apparently runner's "high" is contagious... make that transferable.  I ran, I should have the high.  Kennedy relaxed in her stroller and took in the scenery.  Now it is nap time.  She has stolen my runner's high and wants to play.  I want to nap.  Something is wrong with this picture.  Next time I should sit in the stroller and make her push me.  Problem solved.
7. Despite all of the above.... I have really really missed running outside. :)

In other running news... Kevin and I (ok it was me... and I signed up Kevin) have signed up to run Color Me Rad 5K.  I am totally psyched about this race!!!  Basically we run while people throw paint at us.  Sounds awesome, doesn't it??  Kevin told me I could run up and down our street while he throws paint at me and save us $35/each... but what fun is that?  If you are local, come join us.  We are team Mr & Mrs Awesome (super lame, I know, but I couldn't think of a better name at 1am when I signed us up).  

Kennedy's 32 Week Check In

This week has been another wonderful week.  Baby girl is really developing a personality of her own, she is more vocal and more curious with each passing day.

  How Big Is Baby?

• I think Kennedy is about 16 1/2 pounds.  She is tall for her age also.
• She is in mostly 6 and 9 month outfits right now.
• Since she is beginning to pull herself up and work on walking, we are starting to try out shoes.  I think she is a size 2 or 3, but baby shoes are really difficult to size right (and to actually get her to wear).  I think she is going to be more of a barefoot babe, just like her mama. 
• Full time cloth diapering. We are out one snap on each side and one snap on the rise on all of her dipes.  We have gone up a second snap on the rise on a few of her diapers and so far we are getting a great fit!

Development & Milestones  

• BLW is still going great.  Baby girl is really do well with her hand/eye and hand to mouth coordination.  Her pincer grasp is a work in progress, but I definitely notice an improvement since we began.
• We are inching closer to forward movement in the crawling department.  Kennedy rocks and scooches and lurches forward, but she still does not have the coordinated legs/arms thing in her favor yet.  We are practicing with her daily, and I just know one of these days, likely very soon, she is just going to take right off.
• Kennedy can pull herself up on just about anything now, although her favorite thing to use is Daddy.  :)
• No new words this week, but Ma Ma and Ba Ba (Lucy) are heard often around this house.  Love those sounds!!

The many faces of Kennedy.  I love the "I'm being serious" look, lol

Diet/Nursing

• Nursing is still going wonderfully.  I *think* I may have noticed a small drop in supply, but I'm not completely sure.  Baby girl still seems satisfied after each nursing session and I am still pumping about the same amount, but I feel less full.  Not sure what that means, but we will keep calm and nurse on.  Part of me would like to see her wean in the near future so I can start my cycle again and we can get ready to try for baby #2 (Eeeeek!!) but part of me enjoys nursing baby girl so much that I am just not ready to even think about stopping yet.
• Pumping at work has been great!!  I am beginning the donor process again to send off some of my frozen milk.  We need some freezer space back!
• BLW is great!!  This week Kennedy tried egg whites then a full egg omelet, bacon (my kind of girl!), pork tenderloin, roasted peppers, pizza bake, frozen mango, kiwi, pears and a few other goodies.  She is almost 100% eating whatever Kevin and I eat which is wonderful!

Sleep

• Still about half and half with the crib.  Daddy is really good about getting her to fall asleep in there... I am really terrible about getting her to fall back asleep in there after she nurses.  Some day, maybe before college, she will spend a full night in her room.
• Sleep-wise, she had a few days of several small nursing sessions between 5am and 8am.  I'm not sure what that is all about, but I'm not a fan.  She would wake up about every 30 minutes-1 hour from 5-8.  Blech!!  Doesn't she know I am not a morning person??!?
• Naps have been really great this week.  I feel like I have her nap routine down much better.  Yay me!!  Kevin tells me she has also been napping great for him (ahem WITH him) in the afternoon.  Hey, whatever works I guess.

 
PP Mommy Check In

• Dropped another few pounds this week.  And now that I am typing this, it hits me that perhaps that is the culprit behind the change in fullness/supply.  Who knows.  I feel great.  I have been working out and eating healthy this week and I'm feeling really positive.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day and I am taking baby girl out for a run.  Look out!!  The weather is breaking and I am transforming back into the smoothie slurping run nazi Monica that you all know and love!!
• Oh... some (minor) progress in the gym department.  I FINALLY went to take a peek at Gold's, to see if it was worth it... and I'm on the fence.  Although I learned as I was leaving that they offer swim lessons for the littles, so I think I'm going to just do it.  Kevin is getting a gym membership too.  He doesn't know this yet and he may not like it, but it HAS to be done.  :) 
• Right now I am about 119 lbs.  
• *For reference, my highest pregnancy weight was 162, my pre-pregnancy weight was 130 and my goal weight is 125* 

How Is Daddy?

• Kevin really is like... umm... the BEST dad on the planet.  Seriously.  This guy washes and folds laundry, washes (and stuffs) cloth diapers, totally supports babyled weaning, handles bottle washing and babywears (Ergo and ring sling... not a fan of wraps... yet)!!  How did I get so lucky!!

Any appointments, visitors or outings?  Anything else new?

• Another boring week, but the light at the end of the long dreary boring winter tunnel is near!!  
•  Cloth diapering is still going great!! 

  Product Rave: 

• This week I am loving her Ergo more than usual.  As she gets heavier, long outings in the ring sling are becoming a little less comfortable.  I still love my ring sling for short trips to the grocery store and what not, but for long walks around the mall or neighborhood, I am reaching for my Ergo.  I love that Kevin and I can both use it without having to undo or change too much.  He loves it to use for walks also.

 
Any upcoming developments, milestones?  What's next?

• Next up will be another visit to the pedi for the flu shot booster on Tuesday.
• Hopefully we will have some forward motion in the crawling department soon.  :)

 
Picture Time:

BLW: 2 Months In

So if you've been following my blog (all., what, 9 of you... lol)... you know that we have decided to use the Baby Led Weaning method of introducing solid foods to Kennedy.  After some research (one of my favorite websites for BLW... The Mush Stops Here), we decided that this was best for her and for us so at about 5 months we offered Kennedy a Mum Mum cracker here and there to gauge her interest in food and her ability to chew/swallow.  Then at about 5 1/2 months, we just went for it.  At 2 months in... I would call it a huge success!!

Hummus and Crackers

 We started with naturally soft foods like avacado and banana, but quickly progressed to different textures.  Now, at 7 1/2 months, Kennedy eats whatever we eat with a few exceptions (extra salty or spicy food, unhealthy processed or junk food, soups).

This is a quick recap on lessons I learned along the way and my thoughts/feelings on BLW.  As I'm sure you know already, I'm a big fan.

Peaches

 Lesson #1-  Spears are your friend.  At first, I was nervous about Kennedy chewing/eating large pieces of food, so I cut her avacado into small chunks.  Terrible idea.  Within minutes she had mashed it to a pulp and there was no hope of her picking it up herself.  I then scooped some of the mush onto a spoon for her.  She was able to more or less feed herself with the spoon, but it defeated the purpose of BLW since I had to load it for her.  I also think that she was actually more interested in chewing on the spoon and the avacado just so happened to be in the way.  Either way, she at least got to taste some of it.  I learned quickly that I needed to cut everything into large spears or french fry shapes that were easier for her to hold.  Once I did this, she was able to pick up her own food and bite of small pieces.  As her grasp gets better, I can cut the pieces smaller.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

 Lesson #2-   BLW should be called BLFW (Baby Led Family Weaning).  I have always considered myself a healthy eater and generally prefer fresh, healthy foods.  Enter cute little perfect baby who eats my food... now nothing I eat is good enough (in my mind) for her.  Then I got to thinking... if it isn't good enough for her... why is it good enough for me??  Now I find myself striving even harder to make better food choices, shop healthier, cook healthier, eat healthier, live healthier.  I want to be around for her forever, you know?
A few examples... 

• I enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, always have... but Kevin does not.  For a while I didn't buy many (especially during the winter when they are super expensive) because I could only eat them so fast and I hated throwing food away.  Now I buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies both for myself and for Kennedy.  What I don't plan to eat in a day or two, I wash, slice and freeze on a cookie tray.  There are always fresh or frozen fruits and veggies available for us to snack on now.  And I am encouraging Kevin to pick up this habit.  Slowly but sure;y, it seems to be working.
• I find myself reading labels, researching and asking questions about my food more than ever.  When I shop, I prefer the farmer's market.  This time of year, my choices at the market are limited so I try to choose wisely at the grocery store.  We are just not able to afford 100% organic, so I focus on the "dirty dozen" when I choose what to buy organic and what to buy regular.  Learn more about the dirty dozen here 
• I have always tried to bake or grill my meats, but on occasion (usually when I am running short on time) I will toss it in a sautee pan for a quickie meal.  Now I take the time to bake it because I know it is much better for all of us.  
• I have traded in the margarine or fake butter for coconut oil or real butter.  I cook everything in coconut oil and use real butter only when needed for flavor.  No more fake stuff.  Ever.  When I actually stopped to think about how I had slacked off in this department and fallen victim to convenience and price, I was pretty annoyed at myself.  We have a great farmer's market that sells real butter... why was I buying that other junk anyway?
• I find myself experimenting more with spices and seasonings and cutting back on the salt.  Salt is not necessary in her diet and it really isn't necessary in ours either.
• Kevin and I are admittedly cheese-aholics.  Rarely do we have a meal without cheese.  Unless I wanted to turn my super pooper into a once a month pooper (NOT a good thing), then I knew we needed to cut back on our beloved cheese.  We could never cut it out completely and it is good for baby girl to have some... but we are making a conscious effort to keep our cheese addiction in check. 

Biscuits with Blackberry Jam

 Some of the benefits I have found...

• No baby food.  That stuff is nasty anyway.  Did you know that one 8oz jar of bananas contains more sugar than a Mountain Dew?  Yuck.  And mushy ham, peas and potatoes?  Seriously?  Blech.
• Family dinners can be enjoyed by the whole family.  At the same time.  Mommy feeds mommy.  Daddy feeds daddy.  Baby feeds baby (and sometimes baby feeds the dog, but that's ok).  It's a beautiful thing.
• Dining out is easier.  No need to lug around baby food, then figure out how to warm it up (because IF you are going to feed your baby mushed up ham, peas and potatoes, at least make it hot).  Then when your meal comes you can actually eat, rather than feed the baby while your meal gets cold.  You just order and give your baby some of your food.  Once they are eating enough, order them a child's plate.  Done.
• Less mess... well... sort of.  The kitchen may be messier, the baby may be messier, but at least you're not trying to shove spoonful after spoonful of mushy mess into their mouth only to have it (so kindly) returned back to you.
• Watching them figure out this whole eating thing is just so very cool.  Really.  It's amazing how smart they are and how much they know about themselves and their bodies already.  They eat what they want, they stop when they are full, they learn how to chew and swallow very quickly.  We truly don't give them enough credit.  :)