Good night, Baby Girl

I know I am going to jinx it but our daughter is really good at putting herself to sleep at night. Now, that doesn't mean that she won't scream. Oh no - she'll most definitely scream. She isn't screaming because she doesn't want to go to sleep. Sadly, she is screaming because she wants to go to sleep but somehow cannot. Our normal routine in the evening is that I pick her up from daycare around 4:45ish and take her home screaming in the car. Again, she is screaming because she is tired. She continues to scream as I take her out of her big girl car seat, walk up the stairs, and sit down on the couch. The screaming will pretty much continue until her daddy or I lull her to sleep. She'll normally wake up about 4-5 hours after her last bottle to down 8 or 9 oz of food and then goes right back to sleep. We normally do not even have to think about putting her to bed because she naturally goes to sleep by herself. Today was completely different. I picked her up from daycare and she was completely happy. She cooed and talked all the way home with very little screaming. The happiness continued for a little bit more and then she started to fuss. And fuss. And FUSS. I just knew she couldn't be hungry because it was only 6:00 and she had just eaten 8 oz at 4:30. Food is usually the last resort but tonight it worked. It turned out she was hungry. Again I just knew she would only eat 2 or 3 oz and then fall asleep during her bottle. Nope - I was wrong again. She downed 9, yeah 9!, oz and then was wide awake. How on earth? Yeah - it was strange. So at 7:30 and 4 books later I decided it was time for her to go to sleep. I had no idea how this was going to go because we had never done this. I put her in her crib and she fussed for a bit...but within 15 minutes she was asleep. Yay! I hope this continues!

Jumperoo!

1.23.08 Jumperoo (7)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Jim and I got Baby Girl a jumperoo at the suggestion of our dr. She absolutely loves it. It is so funny to watch her jump up and down on it!

Car Seat

Last weekend we decided to call it quits on the infant carrier. With her being 18lbs+ it was getting incredibly hard to carry her around. Plus I was concerned that she would max out on it and we wouldn't have enough time to get the new one installed. So last Saturday in the FREEZING cold I stood outside watching a fireman install our new car seats in each of our cars. At least we won't have to worry about changing it out again until she is 1 year old. =) Oh, and my back has officially stopped hurting since I don't have to 'lug' that thing around every morning. Carrying her is soooo much easier. It was strange to get used to not wrapping her up in blankets and making sure she is warm. Now I have to get her in a jacket and squish her head into a hat (boy that was fun the first day!). One good thing is she loves her stroller now and stays awake. She loved the stroller before but never stayed awake since she was in the carrier. Now she can see everything that is going on. It is wonderful!

YAY for the big girl car seat!

Daycare Exhaustion

Let me start by saying Libby loves daycare. She loves her teachers. She loves all of the things to do there. I actually tell her every morning we are going to the 'fun place'. Sadly, she actually cries when I take her away. I'm serious. It hurts my feelings a bit but I also am so incredibly happy that she likes it there so much. Part of the crying is caused by how exhausted she is. Lately we have had the 'fun' of dealing with how tired she is in screams. She actually has been falling asleep around 5:00-6:00 pm. It is all due to the fact she doesn't nap very much. Last night she fell asleep around 6:00 pm but had previously eaten at 4:20 pm. She actually didn't wake up until 11:30ish. Poor thing. She was so tired but at least she was tired from having so much fun. =)

Teething

Miss Elizabeth is definitely teething. We've known this for awhile but we really haven't found a way to ease the pain. We really don't like giving her Tylenol all of the time so we have found a better solution: Daddy's finger.




And my absolute favorite:

4 Months

Looking at the 4 month milestones, I am really happy with our progress. Here are the suggested milestones.

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)

• Smiles, laughs - Check.
  
• Can bear weight on legs - Check
  
• Coos when you talk to him - hah. Check
  

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)

• Can grasp a toy - Check
  
• Rolls over, from tummy to back - Nope! Not yet!
  

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)

• Imitates sounds: "baba," "dada" - Check
  
• Cuts first tooth - Aww, she's trying poor thing.
  
• May be ready for solid foods - Check!

So really the only thing we are lacking is for her to roll over. The Pediatrician told us that it might be difficult for her because she is so big. Regardless, I think she is doing really well!!

YAY FOR A GREAT BABY!

Solid Foods

1.17.08 First Solid Food_0002
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

We fed Miss Elizabeth her first 'solid food' . It really wasn't that solid considering we diluted it with SO MUCH formula. She did 'ok' and maybe got a quarter of what we fed her down. The spoon seemed very foreign to her. We'll try again tomorrow. =)

Four Months!

Well, tomorrow Libby will be 4 months old. I can't believe it! I cannot wait to see how much she has grown in 2 months! The only thing I am nervous about is that she will have shots. Oh how I am dreading them. She's already got a cold that she is doing so well with but to put painful shots on top of it. That is just mean! Anyways, I am hoping it goes well and quickly. I'll update the site tomorrow night with all of her new information!

Happy 4th Month Birthday Kiddo!

Happy Baby!

1.15.08 Happy Baby (3)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Who is happy about turning 4 months tomorrow? Libby is! Even with a cold she is a happy baby!

Feeding vs Sleeping - Feeding is Winning!

The new nipples work! WAHOO!!! She doesn't fall asleep during feedings anymore and she is eating 6-8 oz at every meal now! The teething sometimes makes it a little bit difficult but we're working on it. Infant Tylenol is my best friend. I am thinking of buying stock. =)

Oh, and it isn't related to feeding but to teething. While you may think that the Q-tip Orajel applicators are a good idea because it is confined in one thing with the correct dosage think for a second how you will actually apply a Q-tip to a baby's gums. Yeah - it doesn't work really well when they are wiggling and screaming. I recommend the regular gel and use your finger.

Sleeping vs Feeding

Libby has developed a bad habit of falling asleep while eating. It is like she completely tuckers herself out while eating. Today the daycare suggested that we try the next level for her nipple on her bottle. We tried it tonight and man oh man does it make all of the difference. She actually made it all the way through her bottle and *then* fell asleep. I can't wait to see if she stays awake more tomorrow for her teachers!

Weird Week Update

This has been the strangest week ever. I did keep Libby at home on Tuesday and with Grandma Ski's help it was a good day. Libby still didn't eat much but she definitely was not dehydrated - which is what I was worried about. Oh, and for the record, for those of you that think you can stay at home and work while caring for a baby, you are out of your minds. =)

On Wednesday I took Libby back to daycare and she did great. She still didn't eat well but it was getting better. Her attitude hadn't changed and, if anything, she slept better. Today was even better. She had almost normal bottles and is most definitely playing catch up at night with her feedings by having a ton right before she goes to sleep.

I'm glad tomorrow is Friday so that we can spend some more time with her. Sadly, I have to work some this weekend but I plan on squeezing every second I can with her!

Libby Drama

Today was strange. I got up at 2am with Libby Lu to feed her, and she quickly downed a 7oz bottle. I had such hope that it would be a normal day...but, sadly, it wasn't. My routine was normal - I got up at 5, loaded the car, and then got Libby up at 6:00. That's where it went wrong. I thought because it had been 4 hours since her last feeding I would try to feed her before taking her to daycare. She wanted no part of it and had only 2 oz. I figured she was just too sleepy but she was wide awake. So off to daycare we went with her wide awake. I dropped her off and left her playing on the floor with one of her teachers. Around 11:30 I called over to the daycare to see how Miss Libby Lu was doing and couldn't get a hold of the teacher that was taking care of her. She wanted to call me back to talk about Elizabeth. Again - bad feeling. About 20 long minutes later she called me back to tell me they were struggling to get Libby to eat. She only had 3 or 4 oz at her last feeding and cried every time they put the bottle in her mouth. I was a little nervous but thought maybe it was a fluke. She, thankfully, suggested she would call back after she tried to feed her again at her next bottle. I got the next call around 12:30 to say she only had 2 oz and was crying very hard. So, off to the daycare to get her. I tried to feed her when I got home and she downed 6.5 oz. I think she was really warm. It was very hot in the room because of the strange temperature change outside. I dressed her as cooly as I could get - a short sleeve onsie and very light pants. It apparently did not help. I was very nervous and thought she just wouldn't eat for them. Wrong! The next feeding around 4:00 was awful. All of a sudden she just started screaming while sucking on her bottle. I heard a strange sound and realized that she just hit what little tooth had been coming through. So that ended the mystery of why Libby was screaming. I plan on keeping her home tomorrow to further test that theory. We are armed with Orajel and Tylenol so I think we are good. Grandma Ski is coming over to help me since I will be working from home. This way I can actually work. =) Ah, teething messes everything up!

Teething

Libby may look like her daddy but she is taking after me in the tooth department. That's right - she is already getting a tooth in. You can tell it is hurting her and she won't use a teething ring. I figure she will later on...she just doesn't like the cold. I'm hoping once she figures out it will make her feel better she will. Right now we are just using Tylenol and it seems to be helping a lot. It is just crazy to think she is already getting a tooth! Good grief!

Weekends

This was the first weekend for me after coming back to work. I really needed it because frankly I needed to be around my baby. It was wonderful. I'm very sad to have to take her back to daycare tomorrow but I also feel a lot better about it. I know she happy there and that means more to me than anything. Oh, and they are already helping me with her too. Libby has very, very dry skin and it has been very scaly. The daycare recommended using Aquaphor and it is working wonders. It makes her hair a little greasy but no dry skin! It was really bothering her - it would make her head itch! No more! So yay for that!

Oh, and I am already looking forward to next weekend. I wish it was only 3 days away like last week.

Sleeping Update

I was worried that when Libby went to daycare it would hurt any progress we made in Libby's sleeping. Luckily that did not happen. Actually, it has gotten better. She even slept 9 hours Thursday night. It doesn't hurt that she is so tired after her day, she falls to sleep really quickly. Ah, progress. =)

Day 3: Really Good Day

While I am still trying to adjust to working, being a Mom, and finding a balance between my work and personal life, Libby is thriving at the daycare. Today was a good day and I really don't have any complaints. The only snag in the whole process was that no one was in her room this morning so I had to wait 10 minutes before someone showed up. It wasn't a big deal and honestly gave me an excuse to spend more time with Miss Libby. Besides - she was sleeping so she really didn't mind. =)

I feel like I am not able to concentrate and put in 100% at work. I think that is because I feel bad saying at 4:45 PM that I have to go. It isn't that I am not working 40 hrs per week. I am still working more (not much more but a little bit). It is just that my team is so wonderful and they are having to pick up my slack. I hate that. Anyways, enough about work. Today went well and it is Friday. Two days with my family. I love it!

Oh, one final note - I loved coming home to be with Jim but to come home, pick up Libby, and be with her and Jim - that is just pure heaven.

Daycare - Day 2

Last night Libby fell asleep at 7:00. She was exhausted. I fell asleep at 9:00. I was exhausted. She still slept 6.5 hours before getting up for a feeding. Then I had the unfortunate task of getting her up at 6:10am. She quickly realized she was hungry so I fed her and off to the prison..I mean daycare we went. I expected it to be incredibly hard to leave her again and it wasn't great, but a little easier. She smiled and laughed at her teacher and me and I quickly said good-bye so I wouldn't snatch her up and sneak back home. I called and checked on her twice and she did ok today. She still hasn't cried during the day so that is good. Usually picking her up at the end of the day is something I look forward to. Today I picked her up and her nose was so congested she was struggling to breathe. She was breathing so it was fine but no one told me she was having trouble. Now I think I was just being over protective of her but she really was not having an easy time. So today was not perfect. I got her home around 5:30 and she went right to sleep. I think from the records, she is maybe napping a total of 2 hours during the day. Anyways, I am still not thrilled at this whole thing and really don't like itbut I don't have a choice. Fun.

Big Day: We survived.

By me posting this you know that Libby and I survived. Barely. Let me start at the beginning: last night. I went to bed reluctantly at 9:30 and finally fell asleep...oh probably around 11 or 11:30. Libby wanted to eat around 3:00 so I got up with her then and I pretty much never fell back asleep. That's why I include it in 'today' because I don't know the difference in the 2 days. I ended up getting up at 5:00 and got ready for my first day back at work. Libby was wonderful and slept while I got ready, loaded up the car, and then went to collect her from her crib to get her in an outfit suitable for daycare (i.e., not her PJs). Then at 6:15, off we went to daycare. My eyes were still dry so I was pleased. That didn't last much longer. I got at the daycare at 6:30, took Libby inside and that is where the water works started and did not end until I walked out of the establishment, into my car, drove to work, and got out of my car in the garage. I did take a second to try to collect myself in the garage...it didn't work. =) I managed to make it into work and made it until 8:30ish before I called the daycare to see how Libby was doing. She apparently was doing fine and hadn't cried. I counted that as successful. The lady caring for her today mentioned something that made me want to go visit Libby at lunch so I did. Boy! That was a MISTAKE. I had finally recovered and had not cried until I saw her and then started all over again. It wasn't pretty. I cried all the way back to work. Needless to say my eyes are a tad red and tired. Libby is fine though. I went and collected her at 5:00 and she was very happy. She ate well and went longer between the feedings. Every time I saw her she seemed happy and doing well. The lady that took care of her said she never cried all day. Yay for that! I think Mommy made up for it. Tomorrow has to be better than today but we survived and that is all we can do.

1st Day of Daycare - The Night Before

I've spend the first day of 2008 in tears almost every other hour. Tomorrow is the first day I return to work and take Elizabeth to daycare. My emotions are torn. I am excited and incredibly sad at the same time. I'm mostly excited to see what 'normal' looks like. We've talked for so long about both of us going to work and her daycare and now we're going to get to see what it is actually like. I have a list of everything I need to bring with me tomorrow. It seriously feels like I am going away for a long time. There is just so much stuff that I need to remember every morning. Eventually it will be routine and, honestly, there won't be this much stuff every single day. The first day I am bringing her extra things I didn't know I could: a pacifier, blanket, etc. Squeezing her full name on a pacifier was hilarious I have to tell you! In any case, I will have to bring bottles and a piece of paper describing her night (i.e., whether she slept well or not) and when she last ate/had a diaper change. So hopefully her things will go down in size. Seeing how fast she is growing, I think the infant carrier will be gone before I know it. I plan on bringing it in with me tomorrow since it is so cold here and I don't want to keep her out in the cold while trying to buckle her into it in the car...but on warmer days, I might forgo it and just carry her in. My goal is to nitpick every single detail so I don't have to actually comprehend leaving her in a stranger's care. It'll be ok...It'll be ok. I'll update you on how it actually goes. =)