Kennedy's 37 Week Check In

When I went to type the title, I had to go back to last week 3 times to make sure she is really 37 weeks this week.  Wow.  Just plain wow.  We have been talking a lot about her upcoming first birthday (with family all over the place we have to plan early) and I just can't believe we are planning her BIRTHDAY!!  I swear sometimes it feels like we were just bringing her home from the hospital.  Sometimes I *wish* we had just brought her home from the hospital.  It is both sad and exciting that her first year is coming to an end.  Truly bittersweet.  Before I start the "my baby is growing up" waterworks... I should remind myself that we still have 3+ months of baby-ness before we cross the one year milestone.  
 

How Big Is Baby?

• Baby girl is back to her regular eating/nursing habits so she is back to growing like a weed.  She is probably still in the 17 pound range, but overall looks (and I'm sure feels) much better this week.
• Kennedy is wearing mostly 9 month clothes with a few 6 month tops or bottoms tossed in the mix.
• The size 2 shoes are now a complete lost cause.  The 3s are starting to fit pretty good.  She only wears them when we are out, but they are really cute.  She also got a pair of squeaker shoes which she adores.  She loves to stomp around and make them squeak... or chew on them.  :/  Silly girl.
• 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!  This week she didn't try any new foods (that I can remember)... but she as found a new treat... when we go to Wegmans on the weekend, she gets to try some samples with mommy (I watch carefully how they are handled before letting her have one) and if she is a good girl, sometimes we even stop at the bakery for a mini cookie.  Not the healthiest thing, but everyone deserves a treat every once in a while and it really seems to make her day.  She just looks so cute sitting in the cart (or in her sling) and munching on her cookie.  Love this happy girl!
• She has been a crawling machine this week.  She is really fast now!!
• She also pulls herself up very well and has become much more graceful with going from standing to sitting or crawling.  She puts her hands down first and gently lowers herself (instead of falling or just plopping down like before). 
• Her favorite thing to do this week has been climb the stairs.  She is really pretty good at it, but I'm still not a fan.  She looks so proud of herself when she gets to the top though so I let her go, patiently stand behind her just in case and hold my breath.  This is what being a mom feels like.  It's scary.
• Still no real standing on her own, but very close.  She is getting braver.  She walks really well when holding someone's hand or fingers.  She will be walking on her own soon.
• She has been very vocal this week.  She has "ma ma" down.  I am also noticing a more distinct difference between "ba ba" and "pa pa".  I'm still not sure which one is for daddy and which one is for Lucy, or if they are both just random babble, but the difference is more pronounced.
• We had a "milk" sign this week!!  She hasn't done it again, so it may have been random, but I was pretty excited and it encouraged me to continue signing with her.  She also makes the sign for "puppy" often, but it could easily be mistaken for excited flailing baby arms, so I'm never sure if it is intentional on her part.
• We now have 2 top teeth!!  So a total of 4 teeth.  I'm just glad we are catching a break from the teething torture, even if only for a few days.  I hate seeing my baby girl in pain. 

Diet/Nursing

• Nursing has been much better this week.  Her top teeth have broken through and I can tell she is much more comfortable.  She is still nursing a few times overnight, but I don't mind.
• Pumping at work has been so-so again.  I have noticed that I really just don't have the motivation to pump, especially if the time is iffy.  My supply is still where it needs to be and Kennedy is still able to nurse plenty when I am home.  I also have plenty of frozen milk stashed away, so if I pump at work, great.  If not, oh well.  Next week, however, when I switch to 12 hour shifts, I am going to have to pump at work (or risk a milky explosion!)
• BLW is still going really well.  She does great with everything we have given her so far.  It still amazes me to watch her learn and explore her food.
• Daddy has been working on giving breast milk in the sippy cup (thinking maybe she just wasn't interested in the water or juice/water mix).  She is just not into it... at all.

 

Sleep

• Naps have been much better this week.  We are back on the 2-3-4 schedule, with adjustments as needed for the sitter and work schedule.  She is doing so much better!
• Sleep-wise we are also pretty much back to normal.  Daddy puts her to sleep around 9.  She wakes up around 1am when I get home to nurse.  Daddy changes her around 6am when he is getting ready and I nurse her again.  Then we snuggle until about 9am.  I'm so thankful that she doesn't mind staying in bed with me until 9 or so.  

 
PP Mommy Check In

• I feel much better this week.  The weather is finally starting to break (we are even supposed to hit 70 tomorrow!!) so I have gotten a few runs in and started some P90X this week.  Kennedy feeling better, the change in weather (and kicking the GI bug) has really perked me up.  I feel like me again... energetic, athletic and ready to take on the world!  Bring.It.On!!
• Right now I am about 118 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 also had a much better week.  Baby girl is feeling much better and so is daddy.  I need to take a second to brag here too... Kevin has struggled with his weight since leaving the Marine Corps.  He has slowly packed on a few (well more than a few) unneeded pounds.  Over the past few months, he has made a conscous effort to control his portion sizes and eat much healthier.  (I am a healthy eater by nature, but my portion sizes are out of control... so living and eating with me has not made his task easy by any means).  Anyway, he is doing AWESOME and has lost nearly 20 pounds!!!  I am so so proud of him!!  Now if I could only get him to agree to run that marathon.
  

  Any appointments, visitors or outings?  Anything else new?

• 2 new teeth!!!  Woohoo!!!  I'm so happy that those mean teeth finally popped through!
• Cloth diapering is still going great!!  
• We have some friends coming to visit tomorrow.  A fellow loss mama, her husband and their rainbow baby, Abbi will be in town for a few days.  They met Kennedy at the fair last year, but haven't seen her since... and we have never met Abbi.  We are very excited to spend some time with them!

   Product Rave: 

• Kennedy got a new standing play desk that she LOVES!!  It has a little cup (supposed to be a pencil holder, lol) where we put some puffs and she goes bonkers digging around to fish them out.  It is too cute!

 
Any upcoming developments, milestones?  What's next?

• Next pedi visit is at the end of April.
• Visitors tomorrow
• Mommy starts her new schedule in one week!!  12 hour days means more full days off to hang with the monster baby!! 

Picture Time